HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many people are employed by the House authorities to deal with website for the House of Commons; at what grade each person is; and what the total cost of the team is.

John Thurso: The House of Commons web and intranet service currently has 18 full-time equivalent staff. This includes four staff at pay band ‘A’, nine at pay band ‘B’ and five at pay band ‘C’. Total staff costs for the team are some £860,000 per annum, including employer’s national insurance and pension contributions. The costs are shared 75:25 between the Commons and the Lords.
	The web and intranet service is responsible for the management and development of the Parliament website and intranet, social media and other digital communications channels, such as webcasting, on behalf of both Houses.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration Ministers in his Department have given to the findings of the report by Lord Ashcroft, The Armed Forces and Society.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 June 2012
	We thank Lord Ashcroft for his helpful report which provides an interesting perspective on the relationship between the armed forces and society, and provides pointers to the areas requiring attention.

Armed Forces Community Covenant

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what role Ministers in his Department have in determining the focus and outcomes of community covenant schemes;
	(2)  how many community covenant schemes have measures within them which aim to tackle or prevent discrimination against the service community.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 June 2012
	I am encouraged by the success of the Armed Forces Community Covenant scheme. To date more than 50 Community Covenants have been signed and more than 50 are pending.
	Community Covenants are voluntary statements of mutual support between the civilian community and its local armed forces community, in the form of a written pledge. Usually these local partnerships are made between the armed forces in an area and the local authority, joined by local business, organisations, charities and other public bodies as appropriate.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Local Government Association hosted a successful Community Covenant Conference on 1 November 2011 for local authorities in England, which was attended by 150 delegates including representatives from the armed forces community and the voluntary and charitable sector. This was an opportunity to share best practice and encourage further local authorities to participate in the scheme. The strong interest from delegates demonstrated the importance that local authorities are placing on this work. Similar events are expected to be held in Wales and Scotland later this year.
	Guidance is provided on the MOD website about the form that a Community Covenant might take. However, the contents of a particular Community Covenant are entirely a matter for the parties concerned.

Armed Forces: Discrimination

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on protecting the service community from discrimination in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 18 June 2012
	This information is not held in the format requested.
	The Armed Forces Covenant enshrined in law by this Government sets out the principles that those who serve in the armed forces, whether regular or reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services, and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most, such as the injured and the bereaved.
	Any discrimination against members of the armed forces community is to be abhorred, and we will continue to be alert to any cases which are brought to our attention.
	When discrimination is experienced, the chain of command, at a local level, will work closely with the civil police or other bodies as appropriate to address the problem.

Armed Forces: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to monitor the incidences of post-traumatic stress disorder amongst serving and former soldiers.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Luton North (Kelvin Hopkins) on 12 June 2012, Official Report, column 448W.
	The Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) publishes the “UK Armed Forces Mental Health Report” four times a year, which includes the numbers of patients attending a Ministry of Defence Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) who were initially assessed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The latest report, for the period 1 October to 31 December 2011, was published on 3 April 2012, and can be found on the DASA website,
	www.dasa.mod.uk
	under “Other Publications” and “Health/Medical Statistics”.
	Ex-Service personnel who require treatment for PTSD will receive it through their local NHS provider, and no central record is maintained of the numbers diagnosed with the condition. However, we continue to work closely with the Department of Health to improve the whole range of mental health care available to ex-service personnel.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault were reported by members of the armed forces in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: All allegations of rape and sexual assault made by members of the armed forces will be thoroughly investigated by either the civil or service police, depending upon who has jurisdiction. The number of cases of rape and sexual assault reported by members of the armed forces to the service police in each of the last three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2010 25 41 
			 2011 18 36 
			 2012—14 June 2012 10 9 
		
	
	We do not hold details of cases investigated by the civilian police.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has made an assessment of the incidence of (a) post-traumatic stress disorder and (b) depression arising from (i) rape and (ii) sexual assault amongst members of the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: While every effort is made to provide support to victims of rape and sexual assault among members of the armed forces, it is not possible, from the information available, to determine the incidence of post traumatic stress disorder or depression.

Defence: Procurement

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to his oral statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-64, what rate of inflation was assumed in his Department's assessment of a 1 per cent annual increase from 2015 to the equipment and equipment support budget;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the rate of inflation in the defence sector;
	(3)  what rate of inflation was used as a basis for the conclusions of PR12.

Philip Hammond: The 1% real annual uplift in equipment and equipment support spend was first announced by the former Secretary of State for Defence on 18 July 2011. It referred to an agreement that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) had reached with HM Treasury on how much the Department could assume was available for planning purposes.
	The inflation figure underpinning that agreement, and the planning assumption in Planning Round 12, was based on the GDP deflator forecast produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility. At the beginning of Planning Round 12 this was 2.5% for financial year (FY) 2012-13, and 2.7% for subsequent years.
	Defence inflation stood at 4.2% in FY 2010-11, the latest year for which figures are available. The annual average was 3.8% over the period from FY 2005-06 to FY 2010-11.
	The difference between defence inflation (the rate of cost growth of commodities purchased by the MOD) and the GDP deflator is already accounted for in our planning processes.

Diamond Jubilee 2012: Medals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army (a) officers and (b) other ranks have received the Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Andrew Robathan: The number of Territorial Army officers and other ranks who have been issued with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal to date is 9,269. Of those, 2,145 were officers and 7,124 were other ranks.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots will be involved in the sea trials of the F35B aircraft.

Peter Luff: We anticipate that initially a total of three or four UK test pilots will be involved in the first sea trials of the F35B aircraft with additional operational pilots becoming involved as the programme progresses. Final decisions will be taken nearer the time.

Military Aircraft

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Strategic Defence and Security Review, what steps he plans to take to manage the transition within Combat Air capability from Tornado to Typhoon and the Joint Strike Fighter aircraft; when he expects the Tornado to reach its out of service date; and what basing assumptions he has made for the Joint Strike Fighter and Typhoon.

Peter Luff: holding answer 21 June 2012
	As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), we plan to have a fast jet fleet based around two types of modern and capable multi-role aircraft.
	We are reviewing, as part of normal business, how we intend to manage the transition between Tornado, Typhoon and the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
	We plan to run down the Tornado force broadly in line with the build up of the Typhoon force, and the introduction of the JSF at the end of the decade. This will ensure we retain the operational capability we require.
	For planning purposes, the assumed out of service date for Tornado is 2019, but no firm decisions need to be taken before the next SDSR in 2015. As previously announced, we plan to transfer the Typhoon Squadrons currently at RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth and maintain Typhoons at RAF Coningsby. Decisions on JSF basing will be made in due course.

NATO

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on improving and increasing interoperability within NATO.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 19 June 2012
	Improving interoperability, both between NATO allies and with non-NATO partners, was one of my priorities in the discussions I had with my NATO counterparts in both the run-up to NATO's Chicago summit in May 2012, and at the summit itself. An important element of the Defence package endorsed at Chicago was the Connected Forces initiative, which aims to consolidate and build upon interoperability gains by focusing on expanding education, training and exercises (and their validation).

RAF Brize Norton

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of hangar capacity at RAF Brize Norton; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 16 May 2012, Official Report, column 169W.

War Memorials

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will request the Bomber Command Association to invite Freddie Johnson, Bomber Command veteran, to attend the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park on 28 June 2012.

Andrew Robathan: The allocation of tickets for the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial is being co-ordinated entirely by the Bomber Command Association.
	I can however confirm that the Bomber Command Association have already been in contact with Mr Johnson's family regarding his attendance at the unveiling on 28 June 2012.

War Memorials

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  which (a) Ministers in his Department, (b) civil servants in his Department and (c) members of the armed forces will attend the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park on 28 June 2012;
	(2)  which (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants will be attending the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park on 28 June 2012.

Andrew Robathan: There is no specific allocation of tickets for Ministry of Defence officials as this is a Bomber Command Association event.
	The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Aldershot (Mr Howarth) and I have been invited and will attend the unveiling of the Memorial.
	Approximately 200 Royal Air Force personnel will be directly supporting the event in a number of different roles.
	The additional number of members of the Armed Forces and civil servants who have been allocated tickets by the Bomber Command Association is not available, as this information is not held centrally by the Ministry of Defence.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Redundancy Pay

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total cost of redundancy payments following the abolition of the Audit Commission.

Bob Neill: The Audit Commission's audited accounts for 2010-11 and 2011-12 include payments and provisions for redundancy costs of £45.8 million. It is expected that another £3.9 million of redundancy costs will be incurred before the anticipated closure of the commission in 2015 (subject to legislation), bringing the total to £49.7 million. Net of transition costs, the disbanding of the Audit Commission is estimated to save the taxpayer around £650 million over the next five years.

Council Tax: Arrears

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the level of council tax arrears is in each collecting authority (a) in cash terms and (b) as a proportion of total expected revenue.

Bob Neill: holding answer 21 June 2012
	I have today placed in the Library of the House a table, which shows each billing authority in England, the total arrears of council tax outstanding as at 31 March 2011, and the total net collectable debit for 2010-11. The data are as submitted by all billing authorities in England on the Quarterly Return of Council Taxes and Non-domestic rates (QRC4) form.
	The figures for arrears shown relate to all past years of council tax liability, whereas the net collectable debit figures relate only to the financial year 2010-11.
	Data on the total arrears of council tax outstanding as at 31 March 2012 and the total net collectable debit for 2011-12 will be published on 27 June 2012.
	The figures show that in total, there is £2.3 billion of uncollected council tax across England. The council with the biggest single amount of uncollected tax is Liverpool with £108 million of arrears (equivalent to £500 for every dwelling in Liverpool).
	Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.
	It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs. However, these figures show that there is a significant source of income for councils which councils could use to support frontline service or cut council tax bills.

Council Tax: Arrears

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much council tax was uncollected in each local authority (a) in cash terms and (b) as a proportion of the total in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: holding answer 21 June 2012
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has published local authority level information on the estimated council tax net collectable debit, council tax receipts, and receipts as a proportion of net collectable debit, for each of the last five years at the following locations:
	2010-11
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/19332071.xls
	2009-10
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/16203281.xls
	2008-09
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/12641872.xls
	2007-08
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1289701.xls
	2006-07
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1289781.xls
	The data are as submitted by all billing authorities in England on the Quarterly Return of Council Tax (QRC4) form.
	Subtracting receipts from net collectable debit gives a figure for council taxes uncollected in the financial year to which they relate, however collection of council taxes continues after the end of the year. This means that the amount uncollected will reduce and the final collection rate achieved will be somewhere between the figures shown here and 100%.
	Information for 2011-12 will be published on 27 June.
	The worst collection rate in England for 2010-11 is the London borough of Newham (a non-collection rate of 8.3% of net collectable debit), followed by Manchester, Salford, Southwark and Barking and Dagenham.
	In total, £612 million of council tax was not collected in 2010-11 across England. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means higher council tax for the law-abiding citizens who do pay on time.

Council Tax: Multiple Occupation

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Valuation Office Agency tribunals have taken place concerning the council tax banding of houses in multiple occupation containing bedsits in each of the last three years.

Bob Neill: The Valuation Office Agency does not record information that would enable cases relating to houses in multiple occupation to be separately identified, so the information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
	I would add that, as the Minister for Housing and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps), stated in his answer of 27 February 2010, Official Report, columns 36-37W, council tax banding methodology has not changed under this Administration, and the Valuation Office Agency's banding decisions are based on the facts in each case and clear principles laid down in statute and case law.

Council Tax: Pensioners

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in the number of pensioners entitled to claim a reduction in their council tax bills under his proposals in the Local Government Finance Bill.

Bob Neill: holding answer 21 June 2012
	No estimate has been made and no change is being made to pensioners' rights to claim council tax support.

Families: Disadvantaged

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the calculations his Department used to calculate the average cost of an intervention with a family involved with the Troubled Families Programme.

Bob Neill: The workings which underpin this estimate include commercially sensitive information, and so I am unable therefore to provide the detail requested. The estimate though is based on the unit costs of different kinds of interventions likely to be employed by local agencies when working with troubled families.

Homelessness

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the mechanisms used to (a) identify when policy will have an effect on and (b) co-ordinate policy on (i) homelessness and (ii) homelessness among women; whether he has made a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of each Government Department's mechanisms; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to support specialist accommodation projects for homeless and vulnerable women; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The Government secured £6.5 billion for Supporting People over the spending review period. Supporting People provides locally implemented services for vulnerable people including homeless families and individuals, and women at risk of domestic violence. Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs in their area and allocating funding for Supporting People services accordingly. This might include specialist accommodation projects for homeless and vulnerable women.
	Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet ministerial colleagues from other Departments to discuss a range of matters. I welcome St Mungo's recent Rebuilding Shattered Lives campaign which intends to raise awareness and showcase good practice on the issues faced by homeless and vulnerable women. I will consider these ideas with my ministerial colleagues at one of the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness meetings.

Housing

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have responsibility for (a) the NewBuy scheme, (b) the public land scheme, (c) the new homes bonus, (d) homelessness, (e) Get Britain Building Fund and (f) the self-build scheme.

Grant Shapps: There are 205 full-time equivalent staff who work in the Department's two Housing Directorates, although this excludes staff from elsewhere in the Department who assist housing and regeneration policy, including ministerial offices, communications and finance.
	A further 866 full-time equivalent staff work for the Homes and Communities Agency in total.

Housing: Construction

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the quarterly average number of homes built since May 2010 is in each (a) region and (b) local authority area; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the number of homes which need to be built in each quarter in order to meet housing needs in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area.

Grant Shapps: I have placed in the Library of the House, a table showing the number of new build homes completed for each local authority district area in each quarter of this period.
	Quarterly figures by Government region are available on the Department's website in Live Table 217 at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	The Department does not hold data on housing need by Government region or local authority area, as this is a matter for individual local authorities.

Housing: Construction

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of new dwellings have been built in areas at risk of flooding in each (a) region and (b) local authority area since May 2010.

Andrew Stunell: The information is collated by calendar year.
	Information on the proportion of new dwellings built in areas at risk of flooding in each year from 1989 can be found in the Department's Live Tables at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planningbuilding/planningstatistics/livetables/landusechange/
	The National Planning Policy Framework contains strong planning policy on avoiding and managing risks from flooding. The framework makes clear that local plans, which are the keystone of the planning system, should apply a sequential, risk-based approach to the location of development to avoid where possible flood risk to people and property and manage any residual risk.

Housing: Construction

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built in each of the Thames Gateway eco-quarters to date.

Bob Neill: The last Administration's Thames Gateway eco-quarter concept was never implemented. This Government have ended the top down central management of the Thames Gateway and put power back in the hands of local people and their representatives.

Housing: Demolition

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were demolished under the housing market renewal pathfinder scheme, in each pathfinder area in each year, prior to its termination.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government's targets were for demolition of homes under the housing market renewal pathfinder scheme, prior to its termination, in each pathfinder area. [R]

Grant Shapps: The last Administration's Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder programme created large-scale Whitehall targets for demolition and clearance across the midlands and the north of England. The centrally driven schemes were often resented by local communities and created as many problems as they solved. This top-down approach has not worked, frequently resulting in blighted areas where large scale demolition and clearance projects have been stopped in their tracks, leaving some families isolated in abandoned streets.
	There was widespread public controversy over an obsession with demolition over refurbishment, the lack of transparency of the pathfinder quangos, large profits by developers, the demolition of our nation's Victorian heritage and perverse incentives being given to run down neighbourhoods.
	The designation of areas for demolition effectively increased deprivation in those areas; many social landlords prepared the ground by “voiding” and boarding up properties. In turn, this undermined the housing market as mortgage lenders were unwilling to lend in such areas. Areas were effectively managed into decline—to make the notional benefits of wholesale demolition more attractive, ensuring a larger windfall gain for the state.
	As the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Select Committee warned in 2005:
	“Concerns have been expressed about the scale of demolitions envisaged and the impact on vulnerable communities. Some demolition is required but there is a risk that this initiative will be seen as a major demolition programme, which will repeat the mistakes of previous clearance programmes that destroyed the heritage of areas and failed to replace it with neighbourhoods of lasting value” (ODPM Select Committee, Empty Homes and Low-demand Pathfinders, HC 295-1, April 2005).
	Top-down targets were created by the Whitehall programme. Demolition output targets were demanded of Pathfinder partnerships in their funding agreements with the Department for Communities and Local Government. The contracts explicitly stated that “grant is payable...on condition that the Pathfinder achieves the Programme Targets specified for that year” and the Department would suspend, withhold, reduce or withdraw grants at any time if the targets were not met or “satisfactory progress with the implementation” was not made (deposited papers from Official Report, 6 October 2008, column 340W).
	The National Audit Office review of the programme in November 2007 observed that there had been 10,242 properties demolished compared to 1,078 new builds, and there were plans for a total of 57,100 properties to be demolished (NAO, ‘Department for Communities and Local Government: Housing Market Renewal’, HC 20, 2007-2008, pp. 7, 19). It added:
	“The demolition element of the programme has been controversial and can carry particular value for money risks where the acquisition of old properties, clearance of sites and development of new homes is more expensive than the refurbishment of existing properties”. (p.6)
	The Audit Commission has subsequently published a review of the programme that projected there would be 30,987 demolitions from 2002 to 2010-11 (Audit Commission, ‘Housing market renewal’, March 2011, p.9). Full figures by type can be found in the Audit Commission report, while figures on individual areas are available at:
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/housing/marketrenewal pathfinders/strategicreviews/Pages/Strategicreviewofprogress 2010.aspx
	This Government has cancelled the Pathfinder programme and is instead actively seeking to get empty homes back into productive use. Unlike the Pathfinder programme, we are not going to throw massive central taxpayer subsidies at razing properties where it would be more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable to improve and refurbish.

Housing: Regeneration

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many homes were (a) demolished, (b) refurbished and (c) built under the Housing Market Pathfinder renewal programme between 1997 and 2010;
	(2)  with reference to the contribution by the Minister for Housing and Local Government of 19 April 2012, Official Report, column 184WH, what the source was of his statement that 10,000 homes were destroyed by the housing market renewal programme and 1,000 homes were built.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 14 June 2012
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave today, PQ 112609.

Listed Buildings: VAT

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's Right to Bid policy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Budget proposal to raise VAT on alterations to listed buildings on asset transfer to the community.

Andrew Stunell: The Community Right to Bid will provide communities with a fairer chance to save local assets by nominating them to be listed as assets of community value by the local authority. When listed assets come up for sale, the community can trigger a six-month delay before it can be sold to provide more time for community groups to make a bid. The condition and potential cost of any necessary or desired alterations to the buildings or land on the list of assets of community value does not form part of the right.

Local Authorities: Assets

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer prior to the 2012 Budget on the potential effect of the Budget on his Department's Right to Bid policy.

Andrew Stunell: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from Her Majesty's Treasury to discuss a range of matters.

Low Associates

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has received any representations from Low Associates since May 2010.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally and records could be searched only at disproportionate cost. However, no use has been made of their services since May 2010.
	Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website at this URL:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyin government/ministerialdata/
	Details of permanent secretaries' meetings with external organisations are also available and published here:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyin government/staffdata/permanentsecretarydata/

Non-domestic Rates

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which grants will be incorporated into the local share of the new local government business rates retention scheme.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the ‘Business rates retention scheme: The central and local shares of business rates A Statement of Intent’ published on 17 May 2012, as slightly amended in the version published on 13 June 2012, to include a footnote against the Bus Service Operators Grant (London Buses Portion), which lists the grants that are to be included in the Business Rates Retention Scheme. A copy of which can be found in the Library of the House.

Parks: Standards

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has for the future of the Green Flag for Parks award after the end of the current contract on 30 August 2012.

Andrew Stunell: The Green Flag Award is the national benchmark for quality public green spaces. The Department is fully supportive of the scheme and wishes to see it sustained beyond the end of the current contract. Last year the Department announced its intention to let the Green Flag Award scheme to run under licence once the current contract ends. Work continues on this and details of the licence offer will be made as soon as possible.

Recruitment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 489W, on recruitment, to what extent his Department and its non-departmental public bodies and Executive agencies used name-blank CVs or the blind sift function on the Civil Service Resourcing e-recruitment system to recruit staff in the last year.

Bob Neill: The Department for Communities and Local Government is not yet registered to use the Civil Service Resourcing recruitment system but expects to do so before the end of the current financial year ending 31 March 2013.

Right to Buy Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of former council homes sold under the Right to Buy are occupied by (a) the original purchaser, (b) another owner-occupier and (c) a private tenant.

Grant Shapps: Information on the ownership of former council houses sold under Right to Buy is not collected centrally. The Government consider that former social tenants who have bought their homes under Right to Buy should have the same freedoms as any other homeowner, including the ability to sell or let their home when they wish.

Right to Buy Scheme

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right to Buy sales were completed in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last three years.

Grant Shapps: Data on Right to Buy sales of local authority stock are published in Live Table 648 on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/socialhousingsales/livetables/

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the quality and consistency of decisions made by the Planning Inspectorate relating to wind turbine planning appeals.

Bob Neill: The Planning Inspectorate currently issue around 16,000 planning appeal decisions annually and Ministers see a small random sample of these across all types of development on a regular basis once they have been issued by the inspectorate.

SCOTLAND

Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: All letters received by Ministers in the Scotland Office were dealt with appropriately, and no letters from hon. Members were not answered within six months or three months.
	The Cabinet Office publishes a report to Parliament on an annual basis on the performance of Departments in replying to Members' correspondence. The report for 2011 was published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.

Devolution

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent devolution issues the Advocate-General has considered; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: My hon. Friend asked a similar question on 24 April 2012, Official Report, column 829W.
	Since 24 April 2012, the Advocate-General for Scotland has received a total of 81 minutes notifying him of devolution issues, 10 of which related to civil matters.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what regulations his Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Mundell: Each year, the Scotland Office takes forward a programme of Orders under the Scotland Act 1998. Generally, Scotland Act Orders make changes to the law in England and Wales, Northern Ireland or the reserved law of the UK which are outwith the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament and many of these changes are consequential to provisions made in Acts of the Scottish Parliament. Between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012 the only Order brought forward was the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2012 (S.I. 2012/700) which established the Scottish Housing Regulator as part of the Scottish Administration. There were no implementation costs associated with this Order.

WALES

Queen’s Dragoon Guards

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the future of the 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards (The Welsh Cavalry).

Cheryl Gillan: I have had a number of discussions about the structure of regiments in Wales as part of the study into the Army’s future force structure. The outcome of the study will be announced once decisions have been made. Until then it is not possible to comment on which specific units may be affected.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what regulations her Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Cheryl Gillan: The Wales Office did not introduce any regulations between 1 February and 31 May 2012.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Legislation

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what measures he plans to include in the Government's proposed Northern Ireland Bill in the 2013-14 parliamentary Session; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with key stakeholders about measures to be included in the Government's proposed Northern Ireland Bill in the 2013-14 parliamentary Session.

Owen Paterson: No announcements have yet been made about the legislative programme for the third Session. I have begun discussions on legislation that might be required in relation to political donations, dual mandates, the composition of the Northern Ireland Assembly and length of Assembly terms.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what regulations she introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government Equalities Office did not introduce any regulations between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012.

PRIME MINISTER

Correspondence

Ian Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister at what time the letter dated 13 June 2012 from the Prime Minister to Sir Alex Allan was sent; and at what time the reply from Sir Alex was received.

David Cameron: The letters were sent and received on the morning of 13 June 2012. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Leveson Inquiry

Helen Goodman: To ask the Prime Minister how much it cost to provide him with legal advice in relation to his appearance at the Leveson inquiry.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), gave on 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1088W.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Inspections

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many welfare inspections by Animal Health and Welfare were carried out at farms with livestock in the last five years; and what level of compliance with animal welfare legislation and the welfare code was recorded as a result of such inspections.

James Paice: holding answer 19 June 2012
	The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Farm welfare inspections between 2007 and 2011 
			  A B C D Total inspections 
			 2007 3,258 2,820 1,507 436 8,021 
			 2008 3,687 4,258 1,830 430 10,205 
			 2009 3,485 4,664 1,485 368 10,002 
			 2010 3,055 3,264 881 286 7,486 
			 2011 2,250 2,628 839 213 5,930 
			 Grand total 15,735 17,634 6,542 1,733 41,644 
			 A—Full compliance with legislation and code B—Full compliance with legislation but not with code C—Failure to comply with legislation, no unnecessary suffering seen D—Failure to comply with legislation, unnecessary suffering seen 
		
	
	Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency intelligence led monitoring and enforcement focuses inspection resources where there is an increased risk of non compliance. Some farms may have been subject to more than one inspection during the period reported.

Atos

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the total monetary value is of each contract between her Department and Atos;
	(2)  when each contract between her Department and Atos was most recently (a) agreed, (b) renewed and (c) extended.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not have any current contracts with Atos.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the susceptibility of alpacas and llamas to tuberculosis; whether she has any plans to test alpacas and llamas for tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given in response to the same question asked on 13 June 2012, Official Report, column 490W.

Common Fisheries Policy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what agreements were reached at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 12 June 2012 on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and UK control over the 12 nautical mile territorial waters.

Richard Benyon: On 12/13 June I attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg to discuss the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. We secured agreement to key planks of the reform that the UK is seeking, in the form of a ‘General Approach'. This included provisions setting out a regionalised process to allow member states to work together on the measures appropriate to their fisheries, rather than the current centralised ‘one size fits all’ approach.
	On discards we successfully made the case for measures to eliminate discards, agreeing a ban on discards in principle, with provisional timelines. The text also includes a clear legal commitment, and deadlines, to achieve Maximum Sustainable Yield, in line with our international commitments.
	The existing arrangements in the 12 mile zone involve a derogation from the otherwise free access allowed by the CFP. The General Approach agreed in Luxembourg maintains the current derogation setting out member state control over fishery activities in waters from 0 to 12 nautical miles.

Dogs

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department holds on the number of attacks on guide dogs by other dogs in each of the last five years.

James Paice: DEFRA holds no central record of such attacks.

Floods

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) businesses and (b) homes were (i) at risk of flooding and (ii) flooded in April and May 2012.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency's latest published information estimates that there are 5 million properties at risk of flooding in England of which 2.4 million are at risk from rivers and the sea.
	The Environment Agency's records show that 51 properties have flooded from rivers in England in April and May 2012. These provisional figures include homes, mobile homes, commercial and industrial property.

Food Production

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the monetary value was of food and drink (a) produced and (b) imported to the UK in each year for which figures are available.

James Paice: The monetary value of UK food production is measured by the gross value added (GVA) of businesses in the agri-food sector covering agriculture, manufacturing, wholesaling, retailing and non-residential catering.
	
		
			 £ billion 
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 GVA from UK food production(1) 61.0 64.9 64.8 65.8 68.6 70.9 76.6 
			 Imports of food, feed and drink 17.1 17.2 16.8 18.3 19.1 20,9 21.9 
			 Exports of food, feed and drink 9.2 8.9 8.7 8.5 8.9 9.9 9.7 
		
	
	
		
			  2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011(2) 
			 GVA from UK food production(1) 74.2 77.8 80.2 84.5 85.4 88.8 n/a 
			 Imports of food, feed and drink 23.4 24.8 26.7 31.6 32.5 33.7 36.8 
			 Exports of food, feed and drink 9.9 10.5 11.4 13.2 14.0 15.8 18.2 
			 (1 )Gross value added from agriculture, food and drink manufacturing, food and drink retailing, food and drink wholesaling and non-residential catering. (2 )2011 data are subject to amendments. Sources: 1. Gross value added from agriculture is from Agriculture in The United Kingdom, DEFRA. 2. Gross value added from food and drink manufacturing, food and drink retailing, food and drink wholesaling and non-residential catering is from the Annual Business Survey, ONS. 3. Values of imports and exports are prepared by DEFRA using Overseas Trade Statistics from HMRC.

Livestock: Antibiotics

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it her policy to prohibit the advertising of prescription-only antibiotics directly to farmers.

James Paice: The Government consulted on a proposal to prohibit advertising of anti-microbial veterinary medicines to farmers during the summer of 2010, as part of the review process of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations.
	The farming community and the agricultural press opposed a ban; they argued that this proposal would lead to a loss of revenue and consequent reduction in the dissemination of valuable information to the farming industry. Farmers and farming organisations, individual veterinary surgeons and the pharmaceutical industry considered that the change would have a negative effect on farmers' ability to maintain their knowledge and awareness of animal health and welfare issues. The British Veterinary Association and the Soil Association supported the ban.
	Ministers considered the arguments from both sides and decided that it was not appropriate to prohibit advertising of anti-microbial veterinary medicines to farmers since a ban would be unlikely to have a direct impact on anti-microbial resistance.

Livestock: Auctions

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to improve the level of information provided on the provenance of livestock at auctions including on (a) country of origin, (b) the number of TB tests an animal has been subjected to, (c) whether the animal spent any time in a testing parish and (d) whether the animal has been pre-movement tested for a sale; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I think my hon. Friend is referring to cattle. All cattle are individually identified and their movement history is set out in the passports that accompany them on all journeys including those to auctions. We have no current plans to enforce changes to the information provided at livestock auctions on the number of TB tests an animal has been subjected to. However, we encourage farmers to purchase cattle responsibly, bearing in mind the TB history of a herd and its geographical location.

Pheasants

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has (a) incurred for and (b) allocated to research into the incidence of buzzards preying on young pheasants and how best to discourage birds that may cause damage to legitimate businesses.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA funded the Food and Environment Research Agency to undertake a desk study in January 2012 entitled “Approaches to mitigating bird of prey conflicts with pheasants at release pens, outdoor poultry and lambs” at a total cost of £24,694. The report can be found on the DEFRA website.
	DEFRA has made provision for up to £125,000 to be available in each of the current and following two financial years for additional research to look at the relationship between raptors (including buzzards), livestock, wildlife and game birds. DEFRA will collaborate with all the organisations that have an interest in this issue to identify and develop any future research proposals.

Plants: Disease Control

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she has received on the merits of banning the sale of invasive non-native plants.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government held a public consultation on proposals to ban the sale of a small number of highly invasive non-native species. These proposals were based on advice from Natural England. Subsequent to the consultation my officials have sought additional advice from conservation bodies and other organisations that represent groups that may be affected by any sales prohibitions, such as the Horticultural Trades Association and the Ornamental and Aquatic Trades Association.
	I will take a decision on the proposals, based on the balance of the evidence, once the impact assessment has been cleared as part of the Government's rigorous regulatory approvals process.

Plants: Disease Control

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reason is for the time taken in reaching a decision on proposals to ban the sale of invasive non-native plants.

Richard Benyon: The economic case behind proposals to prohibit the sale of five highly invasive plant species is currently being reviewed through the Government's rigorous regulatory approvals process. An announcement will be made in due course.

Poultry: MRSA

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what testing her Department has undertaken on levels of MRSA in (a) poultry farms and (b) chicken and turkey products on sale to the public.

James Paice: Staphylococcus aureus recovered from poultry during laboratory examinations of clinical material at AHVLA Regional Laboratories and subjected to susceptibility testing are examined to determine whether or not they are MRSA. No MRSA have been detected in poultry, although the numbers of isolates examined each year is relatively low.
	The Food Standards Agency conducted a UK-wide survey between May 2007 and September 2008 to determine Campylobacter and Salmonella prevalence on fresh chicken at retail. This survey did not include any testing of levels of MRSA in the chicken samples collected. The Food Standards Agency has not conducted any other testing of MRSA in chicken and turkey products on sale to the public.

Publications

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many publications have been issued by her Department since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: Documents for publication are given an individual serial number. Core DEFRA records indicate that 381 serial numbers were allocated between 1 May 2010 and 31 May 2012.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations her Department has repealed between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and if she will estimate the potential savings to those affected in each case.

James Paice: holding answer 19 June 2012
	DEFRA revoked 19 statutory instruments between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012, with a further three statutory instruments being partially revoked. A list of the instruments revoked is set out in the following table. DEFRA did not repeal any primary legislation in this period.
	Any information that is available on estimated costs and savings to business are set out in individual impact assessments. These are available electronically from the Better Regulation Executive’s impact assessment library at:
	http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/links/
	
		
			  Statutory instruments 
			 The Sea Fishing (Licences and Notices) (England) Regulations 2012(1)  
			 Regulation revoked The Sea Fishing (Licences and Notices) Regulations 1994 (in relation to England) 
			   
			 The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012  
			 Regulations Revoked (in relation to England and Wales) The Waste Management Licensing (Amendment etc.) Regulations 1995 
			  The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 
			   
			 The Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2012  
			 Regulation revoked The Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006 
			   
			 The Individual Ascertainment of Value (England) Order 2012(2)  
			 Regulation revoked The Individual Ascertainment of Value (England) Order 2005 
			   
			 The Plant Health (Fees) (England) Regulations 2012  
			 Regulations revoked or partially revoked The Plant Health (Licence Fees) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 (in relation to England) 
			  Regulation 6 of the Potatoes Originating in Egypt (England) Regulations 2004 
			  The Seed Potatoes (Fees) (England) Regulations 2006 
			  The Plant Health (Plant Passport Fees) (England) Regulations 2007 
			  The Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (England) Regulations 2010 
			  The Plant Health (Import Inspection Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			   
			 The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) Regulations 2012(2)  
			 Regulations revoked The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) Regulations 2008 
			  The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 
			  The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 
			  The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010 
			  The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 
			  The Smoke Control Areas (Authorised Fuels) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2011 
			   
			 The Fishing Boats (Satellite-Tracking Devices and Electronic Reporting) (England) Scheme 2012  
			 Regulations revoked The Fishing Boats (Satellite-Tracking Devices) (England) Scheme 2004 
			  The Fishing Boats (Electronic Transmission of Fishing Activities Data) (England) Scheme 2010 
			   
			 The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) Order 2012  
			 Regulation revoked The Smoke Control Areas (Exempted Fireplaces) (England) (No. 2) Order 2011 
			   
		
	
	
		
			 The Agriculture (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012(2)  
			 Regulations partially revoked Regulation 5(2) of the Agriculture (Cross compliance) (No. 2) Regulations 2009 
			  Regulation 12(8) and (9) of the Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Integrated Administration and Control System) Regulations 2009 
			 (1) Impact assessment is titled “Introduction of electronic notices of variations to licences for all fishing vessels in England”. (2) Denotes that the measure does not require an impact assessment.

Sharks: Conservation

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration she has given to banning shark fin imports.

Richard Benyon: The UK Government is aware of the conservation implications of the international trade in shark fins and the need for more stringent controls to ensure any such trade is rooted in sustainable fishing practices. While the UK has banned shark finning (removal and retention of shark fins at sea, but discarding the carcass), the Government does not oppose fisheries for species where scientific advice indicates that they can be sustainably exploited. However, we do promote the full utilisation of the shark.
	The UK cannot unilaterally take action to ban shark fin imports without contravening EU trade agreements and World Trade Organisation (WTO) obligations.
	However, we are not complacent. We believe the market for shark fin products in the UK is on the decrease and we will continue to support campaigns like ‘Bite-Back' that raise public awareness and change consumer and retailer behaviour.
	We will also continue to work closely with the Shark Trust to ensure sharks are properly managed and conserved globally. We consider that the most effective means of protecting sharks is by continuing to press for a range of international conservation and management measures within the appropriate bodies. This includes pushing for changes within the EU and internationally to ensure all sharks are landed with their ‘fins naturally attached' (thus removing the possibility of shark finning occurring) and supporting scientifically robust proposals for regulating the international trade in shark products through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Durham City Arts

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had on the closure of Durham City Arts.

Edward Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport has had no discussions on the closure of Durham City Arts (DCA). However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is aware that DCA applied to Arts Council England (ACE) for funding from its National portfolio funding programme, but was not successful. ACE held a number of conversations with Durham county council, who were the joint funders of DCA, to consider alternative funding options. The decision to cease operation was taken by DCA's board. Decisions for funding of arts organisations are made independently of Government.
	ACE continues to invest in County Durham and currently supports: three arts festivals, via Gala Theatre; and two organisations, including, Durham Book Festival and TIN Arts. Additionally, Beamish and Bowes Museum have been successful in gaining Major Partner Museum funding. Funding to County Durham through regular ACE funding in 2012-13 has increased significantly from that allocated in previous years (from £118,538 in 2011-12 to £379,000 in 2012-13).

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not changed its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier within the last 10 years.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) main building at Cockspur Street has its (a) gas and (b) electricity supplied by Corona Energy and EDF Energy respectively. DCMS's subsidiary building at Tottenham Court Road does not use gas and has its electricity supplied by British Gas.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

John Penrose: The cost of (a) gas and (b) electricity bills procured by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for the last six years is shown in the table. Figures for the year 2012-13 are not yet available. The information prior to 2006-07 is not held centrally.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Electricity Gas 
			 2002-03 n/a n/a 
			 2003-04 n/a n/a 
			 2004-05 n/a n/a 
			 2005-06 n/a n/a 
			 2006-07 361,500 86,600 
			 2007-08 293,100 48,800 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 318,500 37,300 
			 2009-10 273,597 30,779 
			 2010-11 194,315 19,194 
			 2011-12 201,113 20,381 
			 2012-13 — — 
			 n/a = Not Available.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

John Penrose: Since May 2010, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published Government procurement card spending over £500 on 13 and 30 September 2011 and 18 January 2012. The information can be found on DCMS's transparency website
	http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/?s=procurement +card+spend

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many applications to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme there were in each year from the scheme's inception to date.

John Penrose: The information requested is set out in the following table. The number of applications received was not recorded for the years 2001-02 and 2002-03. Figures for the year 2012-13 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of applications received 
			 2003-04 3,574 
			 2004-05 4,213 
			 2005-06 4,255 
			 2006-07 4,728 
			 2007-08 5,083 
			 2008-09 5,038 
			 2009-10 4,895 
			 2010-11 4,968 
			 2011-12 6,990

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total annual sum of payments made under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme has been in each year since the scheme's inception to April 2011.

John Penrose: The information requested is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total annual payment (£) 
			 2001-02 1,193,237.39 
			 2002-03 8,042,596.64 
			 2003-04 9,006,413.95 
			 2004-05 10,444,277.82 
			 2005-06 14,960,500.11 
		
	
	
		
			 2006-07 14,040,930.98 
			 2007-08 14,590,969.99 
			 2008-09 14,963,412.67 
			 2010-11 (1)19,283,030.22 
			 (1) There was a delay in processing some of the claims made in 2010-11 due to a surge in claims made that year. Subsequently, a number of claims relating to 2010-11 were paid in 2011-12.

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport by what methods he publicised the changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in advance of their coming into effect on 1 April 2011.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) made a series of announcements from October 2010 to March 2011 about the future of the (listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme. Firstly, as part of the October 2010 spending review, we announced that the scheme would continue in the following spending period with a fixed annual budget of £12 million. This formed part of a written ministerial statement made in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on 21 October 2010 and a news release on the DCMS website.
	In January 2011, DCMS announced on its website and the LPW Grant Scheme's website that the terms and operation of the scheme would be comprehensively reviewed, and that the last date for receipt of applications under the current arrangements would be 31 March 2011. This notice was also circulated to a range of denominational and heritage organisations who were asked to provide views on the design of the scheme.
	In March 2011, DCMS announced the detail of the changes to be made to the LPW Grant Scheme, to come into effect on 1 April 2011. These announcements were posted on the DCMS and LPW Grant Scheme websites and circulated to the denominational and heritage contacts. I also wrote to Ministers in the devolved Administrations to set out the changes on 7 April 2011.
	In addition to these announcements we also asked the churches to use their contacts and communication channels to inform people about the changes and explain their implications.
	The combined impact of all these measures was a very significant increase in the number and size of claims under the scheme before the changes took effect.

Mobile Phones

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consideration he has given to the financial implications of the UK and Ireland harmonising mobile roaming charges.

Edward Vaizey: No assessment has been made of the financial implications of the UK and Ireland harmonising mobile roaming charges. However, Ofcom, the UK's independent national telecoms regulator, regularly monitors the roaming charges levied by domestic national telecoms providers and from 1 July 2012 the new European Roaming III regulation will bring down the cost of roaming. This, in addition to moves by certain operators to introduce “All Ireland” tariffs, will cut costs for those consumers who regularly cross the border.

Radio Frequencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effect on GDP of the deployment of 4G by (a) four and (b) one of the mobile network operators.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has not made any assessment of the economic effect of the deployment of 4G services in the UK. Any assessment of the implications for citizens and consumers would normally fall to the independent regulator, Ofcom, to produce.

Radio Frequencies

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on competition in the mobile telephony market of the deployment of 4G by (a) four and (b) one of the mobile network operators.

Edward Vaizey: The Department has not made any such assessment. Such assessments would normally fall to the independent regulator, Ofcom, to produce.
	Ofcom's recent second consultation on the assessment of future mobile competition and proposals for the award of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum and related issues, which closed on 22 March 2012, included an updated assessment of the competition aspects associated with the auction design and the number of wholesale operators that may result. The document considered the case for four operators and for fewer than four. Ofcom has received over 40 responses to this consultation which it is currently analysing. Ofcom intends to decide on these issues and publish a statement in the summer.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Age: Discrimination

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the provisions in the Equality Act 2010 banning age discrimination in the provision of goods and services to be fully implemented.

Lynne Featherstone: A written ministerial statement was laid on 12 June 2012, Official Report, column 23WS, confirming that we intend to implement the age discrimination ban in services and the provision of public functions on 1 October 2012.

Alcoholic Drinks: Crime

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce the number of crimes committed by people involved in hazardous drinking.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 20 June 2012
	The Government's alcohol strategy, which was published as a Command Paper (Cm 8336) on 23 March 2012, sets out plans to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder caused by those involved in hazardous drinking. The strategy is available through the Vote Office, or on the Home Office website:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the efficacy of animal experiments.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government has not commissioned or evaluated any formal research on the efficacy of animal experiments. This is for a number of reasons. Put simply, animal research is already routinely subject to a number of stringent tests. First and foremost, unless an experiment is judged to be potentially efficacious it cannot be licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Where an application relates to ongoing work, inspectors will assess the evidence of benefits from previous work in advising on authorisation. Also, local ethical review processes in licensed establishments review the conduct of the work undertaken under licence at their establishments.
	In addition, research councils and charities evaluate the research projects carried out under the 1986 Act for which they provide funding. Work funded by pharmaceutical companies is subject to internal scrutiny within those companies, and the safety and efficacy testing needed before people are exposed to new drugs is evaluated by the relevant regulators.

Arrest Warrants: EU Action

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent EU Council Decision 2008/978/JHA has been implemented in the UK.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 21 June 2012
	The UK has not implemented Council Decision 2008/978/JHA (European evidence warrant). Implementation was suspended when the UK opted into the European Investigation Order (EIO) in July 2010.
	The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. The European evidence warrant falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.

Asylum

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed Sudanese asylum seekers have been requested to attend interviews with Sudanese and South Sudanese embassy officials for the purposes of obtaining documentation or confirming nationality in the years (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and what information her Department holds on how many of those requested to attend have complied with that request.

Damian Green: According to provisional data held by the UK Border Agency, 46 individuals with no legal basis to remain in the United Kingdom were requested to attend interviews with Sudanese embassy officials in 2010-11 and 111 individuals in 2011-12. These data do not record whether those individuals are failed asylum seekers, are not subject to statistical quality assurance and are subject to change. There are no centrally held data to indicate whether those individuals subsequently complied with that request and that information could be produced only at a disproportionate cost. There have been no requests to attend interviews at the South Sudanese embassy.

British Nationality: Assessments

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the topics covered by the British Citizenship Test; and what plans she has to extend the number of topics covered by the test;
	(2)  what plans she has to ensure that questions and answers in the British Citizenship Test are regularly reviewed to ensure their accuracy;
	(3)  what proportion of questions used in the British Citizenship Test are based on data that are 10 or more years old;
	(4)  how many questions used in the British Citizenship Test have correct answers that are no longer factually correct; and when she plans to update the test to ensure that all answers deemed correct are factually correct.

Damian Green: The Home Office is currently reviewing the content of the Life in the UK test with the aim of introducing new questions, including questions on British history, in autumn 2012.
	All questions asked in the current test are factually correct. Questions are based on the Life in the UK handbook, which includes information from the 2001 census. Any questions based on information which is no longer accurate are removed from the question bank.
	A new revised edition of the handbook will be published before the introduction of the new test.

Contracts

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts (a) her Department and (b) its agencies has with private sector contractors.

Damian Green: As part of the Home Office's commitment to transparency, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 to private sector contractors are published on Contracts Finder at
	http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk/
	and detail of spend over £25,000 is published on the Department's website at
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/transparency/
	A copy of the latest published data, from March 2012, has been placed in the Library of the House.
	A central register to capture all contracts entered in to by the Department, its executive agencies and arm’s length bodies is being developed and will be available later this year.

Crime and Disorder

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on sport-based interventions to tackle crime and social disorder in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has provided funding to a number of voluntary organisations that use sport-based interventions to tackle crime and social disorder through: the Positive Futures programme; the Communities Against Gangs, Guns and Knives (CAGGK) fund; the Community Fund; and the Community Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund (CAACIF).
	Details of the funding provided are shown in the table. However, it is difficult to quantify exactly how much individual organisations have spent on sport-based activities as many recipients also engage in other diversionary activities such as music and art, as well as running preventative programmes such as mentoring.
	Details are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Grant Stream 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Positive Futures 5,063,000 5,063,000 
			 CAGGK (fund runs from April 2011 to March 2013) 0 232,771 
			 Community Fund (provided funding over two years from 2009-2010 and 2010-2011) 214,086 0 
			 CAACIF (launched in September 2011) 0 517,429

Criminal Records

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the effect of establishing the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records during the period between its establishment and April 2012.

Lynne Featherstone: The work of the UK Central Authority for the Exchange of Criminal Records has four parts:
	receiving, and placing on PNC, conviction notifications of Britons convicted in other EU member states;
	sending notifications of EU nationals convicted in the UK to their country of nationality;
	making requests to EU member states about their nationals being prosecuted in the UK; and
	replying to requests from other EU member states concerning UK nationals being prosecuted there.
	All four areas have helped public protection. We now know, to a much greater extent than before, the history of offending by UK nationals abroad. As a result the police can take appropriate steps should that offending be serious, for example by placing the UK national on the Violent and Sexual Offenders Register (ViSOR). In addition any Criminal Records Bureau disclosure on a British national will include more information about their EU offending than was previously the case.
	The numbers of EU nationals being convicted in the UK has given the police a much clearer picture of the extent of EU offending in the UK and will also have ensured that EU member states have a fuller picture of offending by their nationals in the UK.
	The ability to obtain previous convictions of EU nationals being prosecuted here has increased the fairness of the prosecution process in the UK, by allowing information that was previously unavailable to be taken into account by the courts, prosecutors and the police.
	Providing previous convictions of UK nationals to other EU member states has enabled their courts and prosecutors to have a much fuller picture of previous offending by UK nationals.

Detention Centres: Females

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken by the UK Border Agency to seek permission for disclosure of medical records for women in detention for the purpose of identifying when women who are pregnant or have serious health conditions are being detained.

Damian Green: Where a medical practitioner believes that a detainee's health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention, including any elevated risk during pregnancy, he or she is required to inform the UK Border Agency.
	If a pregnant woman chooses to inform removal centre healthcare staff of her condition, the detail would be held on her medical file which is confidential between patient and doctor. The UK Border Agency does not hold such information centrally and does not seek permission for disclosure.
	The UK Border Agency's published policy on the use of detention makes clear that pregnant women should not normally be detained. The exceptions to this general position are where removal is imminent and medical advice does not suggest confinement before the due removal date; or, for pregnant women of less than 24 weeks gestation, as part of the fast track asylum process at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre.

Detention Centres: Females

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether health advice is provided to pregnant women in immigration detention whom the UK Border Agency plans to remove to sub-Saharan African countries where there is high risk of chloroquine resistant malaria, and who have contra-indications to other anti-malarials due to early pregnancy or mental ill health;
	(2)  what steps the UK Border Agency is taking to monitor whether appropriate advice is given by its contractors to pregnant women in immigration detention who are to be removed to sub-Saharan African countries where there is high risk of chloroquine resistant malaria, and who have contra-indications to other anti-malarials due to early pregnancy or mental ill health;
	(3)  what her Department’s policy is on the immigration detention and removal of pregnant women to sub-Saharan African countries where there is high risk of chloroquine resistant malaria in cases where appropriate anti-malarials cannot be administered due to contra-indications with early pregnancy or mental ill health.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 June 2012
	Medical care and health care advice for persons in detention is provided by the health care professionals at immigration removal centres (IRCs). The UK Border Agency (UKBA) does not provide medical care or advice directly to individuals in detention but does liaise regularly with the Department of Health (DH) and the Health Protection Agency in order to ensure that any necessary safeguards as to health are followed.
	Individuals who are proposing to leave the UK voluntarily, or who are liable to enforced removal, are generally expected to make their own health protection arrangements.
	Currently, the majority of IRC health care facilities are provided by private providers who are contracted by the UKBA. The DH is now working with the UKBA on a phased programme to transfer commissioning and funding responsibility for health care provision within IRCs fully to the national health service within the current spending review period.
	The level and type of advice provided to pregnant women or those suffering from a mental illness in detention will depend on the clinical judgment of the health care professionals in the immigration removal centres in which they are detained, taking into account the circumstances of the person concerned and their proposed destination country. In addition, pregnant women or those suffering from mental health issues who are leaving the United Kingdom under an assisted voluntary returns scheme would be able to discuss protection against malaria and other risks with the independent Choices service. This provides confidential and impartial advice to help asylum seekers and irregular migrants decide and plan their return home. Pregnant women in families being removed under the family returns process would have their health and vaccination needs considered by the Family Returns Panel as part of the panel’s consideration of the proposed removal plan before entering the pre-departure accommodation.
	Further advice and information, including a newly produced Health Protection Agency leaflet on prevention of malaria is provided by the health care team at the accommodation.
	Pregnant women who are considered to be ‘at risk’ of malaria are routinely provided with mosquito nets free of charge on removal and provided with the appropriate course of anti-malaria medication.
	The delivery and quality of health care arrangements, including medical advice for those who are pregnant or suffering from a mental illness, at immigration removal centres and short-term holding facilities is monitored through the UK Border Agency’s compliance monitoring arrangements and through independent inspection by Her Majesty’s inspectorate of prisons.

European Network for the Protection of Public Figures

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the UK's financial contribution to the European Network for the Protection of Public Figures was in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The UK has not provided any financial contribution to the European Network for the Protection of Public Figures in the last five years.

Fraud

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 63W, on fraud, if she will add to the diagram placed in the Library to show the involvement of (a) the Counter Fraud Taskforce, (b) the National Fraud Authority, (c) Action Fraud, (d) the Serious Fraud Office, (e) the Serious Organised Crime Agency, (f) the Crown Prosecution Service, (g) any relevant Government Department, (h) any relevant non-departmental public body and (i) any other relevant body or strategy.

James Brokenshire: The Fraud, Error and Debt Taskforce was previously known as the Counter Fraud Taskforce.
	The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Khat

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what evidential basis the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs will be using to draw its conclusions in its review of the drug khat; and how many government reviews and research studies have been undertaken into khat;
	(2)  how the Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs will measure social harm caused by the drug khat in its review of that drug.

James Brokenshire: The Advisory Council on Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) formally reviewed khat in 1988 and 2005. Since 2010 the Home Office has published two research studies: “Perceptions of the social harms associated with khat use” in 2010, available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/horr44/
	and “A review of the social harms of khat and legislation” in 2011, available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/occ95?view=Binary
	Copies of both reports have been placed in the Library of the House.
	I commissioned the ACMD to undertake a comprehensive review of the available evidence on khat in 2010. The purpose of the review is to update its review of 2005. The ACMD is independent. Its remit is to provide an overall assessment based upon the available evidence, including that on social harms.

Licensed Premises: Security

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 79W, on licensed premises: security, if she will publish the interim guidance being used while the review of guidance is conducted; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office has not issued interim guidance while the review of the False ID Guidance is being conducted. As I stated in response to the hon. Lady's previous question, PQ 109122, on 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 79W, the previous revised guidance will be published shortly.

Regional Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in her Department were assigned to (a) the Reward, Efficiency and Reform Group and (b) regional pay issues in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and how many she expects to be assigned in each case in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15.

Damian Green: holding answer 21 June 2012
	There are no Home Office staff assigned to the Reward, Efficiency and Reform Group, which is a directorate of the Cabinet Office.
	The Home Office has no one specifically assigned to regional pay issues now or in the period specified. Consideration of regional pay will be undertaken by the Home Office reward team as part of the normal course of their duties.

Offences Against Children: British Nationals Abroad

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure that the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre continues to provide a centralised operational and tactical lead for the policing of offences of sexual abuse of children by British sex offenders abroad after it becomes part of the National Crime Agency in 2013.

Lynne Featherstone: The National Crime Agency (NCA) will be a UK-wide crime-fighting agency, which will have a highly visible, national profile committed to protecting the public. It will lead the UK's fight against serious and organised crime.
	Subject to the passage of the Crime and Courts Bill, the National Crime Agency will be established by the end of 2013, at the centre of the reformed law enforcement landscape. It will build on the strengths of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), including the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
	The National Crime Agency will therefore play a vital role in countering the threat to children and ensuring they are better protected. As well as building on CEOP's existing role as the national centre dedicated to working with others to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse, the NCA will also be subject to a new statutory duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children across all its functions and activities.
	To support this work, the NCA will have four distinct operational Commands, each led by a senior experienced individual, which will set the priorities for the threats it is responsible for. CEOP will be one of these four Commands, reflecting the importance of child protection within the agency's work.

Offences Against Children: British Nationals Abroad

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions her Department has had on the merits of setting up an operational police unit responsible for disrupting crimes of child sexual abuse by British sex offenders abroad and returning these offenders to the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre has responsibility for operational activity to disrupt offences of child sexual abuse and for returning offenders to the UK.
	Subject to the passage of the Crime and Courts Bill, the National Crime Agency (NCA) will be established by the end of 2013. It will build on the strengths of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), including the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
	There will be many areas where the NCA will help to protect children through the effective use of its specialist resources, including the ability for information on various criminal activities to be compared, in order to identify links and networks and provide for a wider range of responses to be considered. It will also improve the response at our borders, which will help to disrupt the activities of child sex offenders who travel from/into the UK, support efforts to identify, locate and safely recover abducted children, and better coordinate activity to tackle the trafficking of children into the UK.

Offences Against Children: British Nationals Abroad

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the US, Sweden and Australia on the work these countries' police forces have undertaken to target effectively their nationals who travel abroad to sexually abuse children.

Lynne Featherstone: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) works closely with its counterparts in the US, Sweden and Australia. The UK is a dedicated member of the Virtual Global Taskforce (VGT), which brings together law enforcement agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Sweden, which is represented by Europol.
	One of VGT's aims is to deter and prevent individuals from travelling abroad to commit child abuse through a range of crime prevention and crime reduction initiatives. It is through these close partnerships that UK police forces and other UK agencies can share information with these countries relating to those suspected to be travelling abroad to sexually abuse children.

Offences Against Children: British Nationals Abroad

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if she will review the effectiveness of legislation governing the prosecution of British nationals who commit sexual offences against children overseas;
	(2)  how many British child sex offenders have been (a) investigated, (b) charged and (c) convicted under section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in (i) the last five years and (ii) since the Act came into force.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 20 June 2012
	Section 72 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes clear that a person who commits certain sexual offence overseas is liable to be subject to the same circumstances as a person who committed those offences in England or Wales. As such, there are no specific offences set out under section 72.
	A person who commits an offence overseas to which section 72 applies will be charged with the appropriate offence under Part 1 of the 2003 Act.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 677-8W, on prisoners: repatriation, whether any restrictions were placed on any of the repatriated prisoners relating to re-entering the UK; and whether any of the repatriated prisoners have returned to the UK.

Damian Green: Before a repatriation takes place, a deportation order needs to have been signed and served on the individual. A deportation order prevents an individual returning to the UK for as long as it is in force. If a deportation order could not be put in place prior to the repatriation the UK Border Agency ensures that the offender is excluded from the UK. An exclusion order has the same effect as a deportation order in terms of preventing a foreign national offender's re-entry into the UK.

Seized Articles

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total estimated value was of the goods seized by HM Revenue and Customs officials at UK borders on (a) 10 May 2011 and (b) 10 May 2012.

Damian Green: The data requested are not published by the Home Office. While Border Force holds central records on goods seized at the border, we would need to examine individual case records to apply an estimated value to each commodity seizure and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office does publish drug seizure statistics, which includes those seized by Border Force. A copy of the latest statistics has been placed in the Library of the House, and they can also be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	Data are also published by the UK Border Agency on seizures of tobacco, the latest statistics for these seizures have also been placed in the Library of the House, or are available here:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk//sitecontent/documents/aboutus/annual-level-of-tax/

Seized Articles

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the goods seized by HM Revenue and Customs officials at UK borders on 10 May (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Damian Green: The data requested are not published by the Home Office.
	Border Force holds central records on goods seized at the border but, in order to answer this question, we would need to examine individual case records to list all seizures and this could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office does publish drug seizure statistics, which include those seized by Border Force. A copy of the latest statistics has been placed in the Library of the House, and they can also be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/
	Data are also published by the UK Border Agency on seizures of tobacco. The latest statistics for these seizures have also been placed in the Library of the House, or are available here:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk//sitecontent/documents/aboutus/annual-level-of-tax/

Vetting

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress she has made in considering the recommendations of the Independent Adviser for Criminality Information Management that minor and old convictions should, where appropriate, be removed from Criminal Records Bureau certificates.

Lynne Featherstone: Linked to her review of the criminal records regime in England and Wales, entitled “A Common Sense Approach”, the Independent Advisor for Criminality Information Management, Mrs Sunita Mason, established and chaired an Independent Advisory Panel for the Disclosure of Criminal Records. The panel comprised expert representation from the Information Commissioner's Office, NACRO, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Social Services, Association of Chief Police Officers, Liberty, UNLOCK, the legal profession, the judiciary, academia and others. While continuing to advocate that old and minor convictions should be filtered out from the Criminal Records Bureau disclosures, the report of the panel, which is currently being carefully considered by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice, highlights the complexities and difficulties in devising and implementing an effective and appropriate filtering mechanism. The Government continue to keep this issue under review.

TRANSPORT

Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The requested information is provided as follows:
	
		
			 Organisational Unit Empty 
			 Highways Agency 34 residential buildings 
			  19 agriculture/commercial buildings 
			   
			 Vehicle Operator Services Agency Former goods vehicle test station (Birmingham) 
			  Former goods vehicle test station (Gloucester) 
		
	
	The Department for Transport aims to hold only core property (i.e. which is needed for the delivery of its business). All non-core property will be disposed or re-allocated at the earliest opportunity in a way which is both consistent with official guidance and achieves value for money, unless it is held pending transport scheme use. On behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), the Highways Agency holds property that may be required for the improvement, management or operation of the Trunk Road and Motorway Network in England.

Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many buildings owned by her Department and the bodies for which she is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport aims to hold only core property. All non-core property (unless it is held pending transport scheme use) will be disposed or re-allocated at the earliest opportunity in a way which is both consistent with official guidance and achieves value for money.
	The following buildings have been empty for a period of more than two years:
	
		
			 Executive Agencies Sites 
			 Highways Agency 34 residential buildings 
			  13 Agriculture/commercial buildings 
		
	
	
		
			 Executive NDPBs Sites 
			 Trinity House Lighthouse Service (THLS) 1 site (Harwich)

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has made an assessment of the Cabinet Office's Major Projects Authority report on High Speed 2.

Justine Greening: All major projects are reviewed at every stage of their development to ensure that they are delivered as efficiently as possible and provide the best possible value for taxpayers' money. The Major Projects Authority's input therefore provides valuable assistance in enabling the Department successfully to deliver High Speed 2.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by what date she anticipates that High Speed 2 will reach Leeds and Manchester.

Justine Greening: HS2 services will run to Manchester as part of Phase 1, opening in 2026. Dedicated high speed lines will be built to Leeds and Manchester during Phase 2, opening in 2032-33.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will estimate the potential journey time saving High Speed 2 will provide for passengers travelling between (a) Eaglescliffe, (b) Thornaby, (c) Scunthorpe, (d) Goole and (e) Long Eaton station and (i) London Euston, (ii) Birmingham International and (iii) Paris.

Justine Greening: High Speed 2 (HS2) will provide high capacity, high speed rail links between the North, the Midlands and London, including a direct link to the continent via the High Speed 1 line to the channel tunnel. The new network will also provide the opportunity to run the existing rail network in a different way, meaning that stations not on the HS2 network itself will benefit in terms of having more, faster or less crowded services.
	It is too early to make decisions now about detailed service patterns and journey times to specific destinations, beyond those on the high speed network itself, because HS2 will not be fully operational until the 2030s. I have only recently received advice from HS2 Ltd on route options for the second phase of the Y network. I am currently considering this advice and I intend to publish it in the autumn, together with a Government response setting out the initial preferred route and station options.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has any plans to review legislation on the long-term use of foreign registered vehicles on UK roads.

Michael Penning: In order to allow freedom of movement between member states legislation is in place to allow vehicles to circulate without the need to register or pay duties in the host country. This limits visits to six months in any 12 month period. There are no plans to review this.

Parking

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she plans to change the existing guidelines on the size of on-street parking bays.

Norman Baker: The Department is considering changing the current regulatory requirements in respect of parking bays - including their prescribed size - within the proposed updates to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, expected in 2014. No decisions have yet been taken.

Railways: East of England

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total revenue from ticket sales was in the Greater Anglia franchise in each year since 2004-05.

Theresa Villiers: The total revenue from tickets sales, rounded to the nearest million, was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2004-05 383 
			 2005-06 392 
			 2006-07 429 
			 2007-08 477 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 502 
			 2009-10 491 
			 2010-11 516 
			 2011-12 548

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations her Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Norman Baker: The number of statutory instruments (Regulations and Orders) made between the 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012 by the Department for Transport was 636. The instruments are, or will shortly be, available on the legislation.gov website alongside Impact Assessments where produced.
	Of the 636 instruments, 597 were temporary in application and restricted to specific geographical areas. Most of these related to temporary road works, the rest to temporary flying restrictions, for instance in connection with the State Opening of Parliament.
	The remaining 39 are listed below:
	The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/304)
	The Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/305)
	The Public Service Vehicles (Operators' Licences) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/306)
	The Motor Vehicles (Tests) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/307)
	The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) ( Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/308)
	The Dover Harbour Revision Order 2012 (SI 2012/416)
	The Street Works (Charges for Occupation of the Highway) (England) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/425)
	The Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/443)
	The Portsmouth City Council Access to Portsmouth (1)—Tipner Interchange, M275 Motorway Slip Roads Scheme 2009 Confirmation Instrument 2012 (SI 2012/463)
	The London Cable Car Order 2012 (SI 2012/472)
	The Humber Bridge (Debts) Order 2012 (SI 2012/716)
	The Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/742)
	The Traffic Management (St Helens Borough Council) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/785)
	The Policing of Aerodromes (Belfast International Airport) Order 2012 (SI 2012/837)
	The A1 Trunk Road (Elkesley Junctions Improvement) Order 2012 (SI 2012/839)
	The Bus Lane Contraventions (Approved Local Authorities) (England) (Amendment) and Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions Designation Order 2012 (SI 2012/846)
	The Dunham Bridge (Revision of Tolls) Order 2012 (SI 2012/852)
	The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/977)
	The Transport for Greater Manchester (Light Rapid Transit System) (Oldham, Mumps Modification) Order 2012 (SI 2012/981)
	The M1 Motorway (Junctions 10 to 13) (Actively Managed Hard Shoulder and Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/985)
	The Road Transport (Working Time) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/991)
	The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1017)
	The Civil Aviation (Air Travel Organisers' Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1134)
	The Milford Haven Port Authority (Constitution) Harbour Revision Order 2012 (SI 2012/1154)
	The A453 Birmingham to Nottingham Trunk Road (M1 Junction 24 to A52 Nottingham Improvement) (Detrunking) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1218)
	The A453 Birmingham to Nottingham Trunk Road (M1 Junction 24 to A52 Nottingham Improvement and Slip Roads) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1219)
	The Road Vehicles (Individual Approval) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1271)
	The Traffic Management (Doncaster Borough Council) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/1282)
	The Traffic Management (Rotherham Borough Council) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/1284)
	The Traffic Management (The Council of the Borough of Kirklees) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/1286)
	The Traffic Management (Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/1289)
	The Traffic Management (Sheffield City Council) Permit Scheme Order (SI 2012/1294)
	The Traffic Management (Leeds City Council) Permit Scheme Order 2012 (SI 2012/1295)
	The Street Works (Charges for Occupation of the Highway) (Transport for London) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1322)
	The Driving Instruction (Suspension and Exemption Powers) Act 2009 (Commencement No.1) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1356)
	The M54 Motorway (Junction 2 Improvements i 54 Strategic Employment Area) (Trunk Roads) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1384)
	The M54 Motorway (Junction 2 Improvements i54 Strategic Employment Area) (Connecting Roads) Scheme 2012 (SI 2012/1385)
	The Humber Bridge Board (Membership) Order 2012 (SI 2012/1392)
	The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1404)
	Government policy does not require an Impact Assessment to be prepared for an instrument where the cost to the public purse is less than £5 million per year, unless there are also costs or savings to businesses or civil society organisations.
	Information about costs to the public purse where there is no Impact Assessment, or there is but it does not quantify any costs to the public purse, could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is because of the level of analysis that would be required to answer the question.
	Impact assessments which identify estimated costs to the public purse were prepared for the following instruments:
	1. the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/443):
	Training staff from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency = £1,000;
	reduction in Government revenue (reduced vehicle excise duty rates) to vehicles with a Reduced Pollution Certificate = £5 to £500 per vehicle.
	2. Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/742):
	In 5.3.3 of the Impact Assessment (available at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/742/pdfs/uksifia_20120742_en.pdf)
	it states that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
	“could potentially incur additional costs due to the need to process notifications of the intention to carry out a STS (ship to ship) transfer outside of the UK territorial sea but within the UK's counter pollution zone. It has not been possible to monetise this potential cost in this impact assessment as it is not possible to estimate the number of notifications that would be made.”
	3. M1 Motorway (Junctions 10 to 13) (Actively Managed Hard Shoulder and Variable Speed Limits) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/985):
	£0.1 million annual cost of enforcement;
	Other costs on the Highways Agency of installing, operating and maintaining and renewing the managed motorway system that the Regulations relate to are referred to in the Impact Assessment (at:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/985/pdfs/uksifia_20120985_en.pdf)
	but these are costs associated with introducing the system as a whole, not specifically with the Regulations.

Rolling Stock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) full train length equivalent diagrams and (b) carriages will form the fleet for the Intercity Express Programme.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 11 June 2012
	The information is as follows:
	(a) The number of full length train equivalent diagrams is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Package Power source Length Number of weekday diagrams Number of weekday diagrammed vehicles 
			 IEP core routes     
			 GWML phase 1 Bi-mode 5 car 26 130 
			  Electric 8 car 11 88 
			  Bi-mode 8 car 12 96 
			      
			 ECML phase 1 Electric 5 car 10 50 
			  Bi-mode 5 car 8 40 
			  Bi-mode 9 car 10 90 
			 Sub Total — — 77 494 
			      
			 IEP option routes     
			 ECML phase 2 Electric 9 car 26 234 
		
	
	
		
			 ECML Cambs Electric 5 car 10 50 
			 WCML Electric 5 car 22 110 
			 GWML phase 2 Bi-mode 8 car 13 104 
			 Sub total — — 71 498 
			      
			 Total IEP core and option routes — — 148 992 
		
	
	(b) The precise number of carriages that will form the fleet for the weekday diagrams on the IEP core routes shown above is a matter for Agility Trains and is expected to be between 500 and 600.
	Note
	The figures above may be subject to change in the future.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Constituencies

Tom Brake: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect on local and community ties of the decision by the Boundary Commission for England not to split wards as part of the proposals for new parliamentary constituencies.

Mark Harper: It is for the independent Boundary Commissions to interpret the Rules set out in legislation. However, I understand that the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has set out a policy whereby it will consider dividing wards in exceptional and compelling circumstances, having regard to the statutory factors in the Rules, including local ties. It will be for the BCE to determine, having considered the representations made during the consultation periods, whether such exceptional and compelling circumstances exist.

Leveson Inquiry

Helen Goodman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much it cost to provide him with legal advice in relation to his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry.

Nicholas Clegg: holding answer 19 June 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on 21 June 2012, Official Report, column 1088W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer’s Allowance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the withdrawal of carers' allowance from those who have received a bonus from their company.

Maria Miller: Carer's allowance is an income-replacement benefit designed to provide some financial support for people who are unable to work full-time because of their caring responsibilities.
	We are keen to encourage carers to combine some paid work with their caring duties wherever possible. Accordingly, the earnings limit in carer's allowance, currently £100 a week net of tax, national insurance and other allowable expenses, enables carers to maintain some contact with the employment market and achieve greater financial independence. An earnings limit is set to ensure that the benefit functions to replace income, rather than to supplement it.
	When carer's allowance is disallowed on the basis of earnings, where the earnings are over the earnings limit for a ‘closed period’, such as because of the award of a bonus, entitlement to carer's allowance will continue after the disallowance period is over, so a claimant will not be required to start a new claim although they would need to continue to appraise the Department of their circumstances.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason his Department did not publish the research report Decision-making in employment and support allowance claims on the date originally scheduled, 23 January 2012; and when he expects to publish that report.

Chris Grayling: We are currently completing the quality assurance process for this report and expect to be able to publish it in due course.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many decisions on appeals relating to employment and support allowance his Department has challenged at a higher court.

Chris Grayling: DWP has made 13 appeals against First-tier Tribunal decisions on ESA to the Upper Tribunal (UT) since ESA was introduced in 2008 up to 20 June 2012.
	DWP have taken no appeals to the Court of Appeal from UT decisions on ESA.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of settlements with flexible new deal providers whose contracts were cancelled has been; and how many settlements remain to be concluded.

Chris Grayling: We have now concluded our negotiations with all flexible new deal contractors whose contracts were cancelled. Total compensation paid for cancellation of contracts was £89 million. In addition, payments of £63 million were made to providers to cover interim support for the transition period in summer 2010.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a Work programme provider can claim payment in respect of a jobseeker who is referred to the programme who starts a job before being attached to a provider.

Chris Grayling: Work programme providers cannot claim an attachment fee or any job outcome or sustainment payments in respect of a claimant who is not attached to the programme before they start work.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) shortest, (b) longest and (c) average period of time taken was for (i) blind and partially sighted people and (ii) other jobseekers between being referred to work programme providers and beginning to receive targeted support in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: These statistics have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) blind and partially sighted people and (b) other jobseekers were referred to a work programme or work choice provider after being declared fit for work following a work capability assessment in each month since June 2011.

Chris Grayling: This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department collects data on job starts achieved by Work programme prime providers.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not routinely collect job start data. Official job outcome statistics will be available from autumn 2012 online at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department is providing to social rented sector tenants to help them enter employment in order to avoid rent arrears arising from the application of the under occupancy provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Steve Webb: We are currently working on guidance and a toolkit of products to support the introduction of the under-occupation measure and this will be published alongside the regulations. These will signpost the support provided by Jobcentre Plus to assist people into work. Guidance to landlords, “Making it Fit(1)”, published by the Chartered Institute of Housing on 13 June also provides advice and good practice examples to support tenants affected by these changes, including moving into work.
	Jobcentre Plus personal advisers offer a comprehensive menu of help that includes jobsearch support and skills provision. Advisers have the flexibility to tailor support to the individual at the most appropriate point in their claim. Get Britain Working measures offer additional support, including work clubs, work experience, new enterprise allowance, enterprise clubs and sector based work academies.
	The Work programme provides tailored support to those claimants furthest from the labour market. Young claimants are referred to a provider after nine months and those with more challenging barriers to work can be referred at three months. Providers are paid on the results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the harder to help into work.
	(1) http://www.cih.org/resources/PDF/Policy%20free%20 download%20pdfs/Making%20it%20fit.pdf

Incapacity Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to migration trials in Burnley and Aberdeen, how many and what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants were found fit for work; how many and what proportion of such findings were appealed; and how many and what proportion of such appeals were successful.

Chris Grayling: On 15 March 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions published information on the reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants for employment and support allowance (ESA) on a national level for the first time. The report can be found at the following link:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page =esa_ibr
	Table 1 in the report shows the outcomes of initial functional assessments of existing incapacity benefits claimants being reassessed for ESA, both in terms of the quantity and proportion allocated to each group, adjusted to account for completed appeal outcomes. This table specifically highlights the statistics for the autumn 2010 trial and also shows the national statistics from March to July 2011 by month of referral.
	Specific information on appeals made and whether they were successful or not is currently not available.

EU State Aid

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff employed by his Department were specialists in EU state aid issues between (a) May 2009 and May 2010 and (b) May 2010 and March 2011.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions employed no specialists in EU state aid issues between (a) May 2009 and May 2010 and (b) May 2010 and March 2011. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills lead on EU state aid issues across Whitehall.

EU State Aid

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people formerly employed by his Department as specialists on state aid have been rehired by his Department as a consultant since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions does not specialise in state aid, (on which the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills lead across Whitehall). Therefore, the Department for Work and Pensions has not re-hired any people formerly employed by the Department as specialists on state aid as consultants since May 2010.

Motability

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the total cost to the public purse was in each region of assistance provided for insuring vehicles acquired under the Motability scheme in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many leased cars have been acquired in each region via (a) the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance and (b) the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what makes and models of car were acquired in each region in each year.

Maria Miller: Anyone in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance or war pensioners mobility supplement can choose to exchange some or all of their benefit for a Motability vehicle. The provision of Motability scheme vehicles, including insurance costs is therefore largely self-financed through the transfer of benefits, which would be payable whether or not a person participates in the scheme. Consequently, the cost of insuring Motability vehicles is not an additional expense which is borne by the taxpayer.
	Information on how many leased cars have been acquired in each region is not held by the Government as Motability is an independent charitable organisation, wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. Motability have advised that they will write to the hon. Member with such information as they have. Any further detailed questions about the operation of the scheme can be directed at Motability and can be sent to:
	Declan O'Mahony
	Director
	Motability
	Warwick House
	Roydon Road
	Harlow
	Essex
	CM19 5PX.

Personal Independence Payment

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much time will be given to parliamentarians for pre-legislative scrutiny of the final version of the assessment criteria for personal independence payment before the regulations are laid before the House.

Maria Miller: The Department’s consultation on the assessment criteria closed on 30 April. We are now analysing over 1,000 responses received, considering the changes we may wish to make to the assessment criteria to take account of those responses and to ensure the criteria allow effective assessment of the needs of disabled people. We intend to publish a response to the consultation and a final draft of the assessment criteria later this year, with regulations laid before Parliament thereafter.
	The regulations will be made available to the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments for their scrutiny and will be laid under an affirmative resolution, providing both Houses with the opportunity to debate and approve them before they can be made.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regulations his Department introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012; and at what cost to the public purse.

Chris Grayling: In response to the first part of the question, namely which regulations the Department for Work and Pensions introduced between 1 February 2012 and 31 May 2012, these are as follows:
	The six instruments listed are ones that have been laid on an annual basis for, at least, the last two years:
	
		
			 SI number Title 
			 923 Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 918 Mesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 819 Social Security Benefits Up-rating Regulations 2012 
			 757 Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 
			 647 Social Security (Industrial Injuries) (Prescribed Diseases) Amendment Regulations 2012 
			 644 Social Security (Claims and Payments) Amendment Regulations 2012 
		
	
	The following regulations are not generally laid on an annual basis but have been laid to amend, replace or simplify existing regulations:
	
		
			 SI number Title 
			 1267 Social Security and Child Support (Supersession of Appeal Decisions) Regulations 2012 
			 1257 Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Automatic Enrolment) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 1135 Jobseeker's Allowance (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 919 Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment of Linking Rules) Regulations 2012 
			 913 Employment and Support Allowance (Duration of Contributory Allowance) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2012 
			 874 Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 
			 853 Jobseeker's Allowance (Domestic Violence) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 824 Social Security (Suspension of Payment of Benefits and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 
			 766 Social Security (Credits) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
		
	
	
		
			 712 Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2012 
			 692 Pensions (Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and Consultation by Employers - Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 645 Social Security (Recovery) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 638 Identification and Traceability of Explosives (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 632 Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 
			 542 Occupational Pension Schemes (Contracting-out and Modification of Schemes) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 
			 539 Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Levies -Amendment) Regulations 2012 
		
	
	I am unable to provide an answer to the second part of the question on the basis that obtaining this information would incur a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Parents: Separation

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to help separated parents resolve maintenance and contact problems.

Maria Miller: It is unacceptable that only around 50% of children in separated families benefit from an effective child maintenance arrangement.
	That is why we are fundamentally reforming the child maintenance system.
	That is also why the Government recently launched its consultation on shared parenting.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many investigators worked in his Department's risk assurance division in each financial year since 2006-07;
	(2)  what the budget was for his Department's risk assurance division in each financial year since 2006-07;
	(3)  how many investigations were carried out by his Department's risk assurance division investigators involving (a) his Department's staff and (b) external contractors or providers in each financial year since 2006-07.

Chris Grayling: Risk Assurance Division comprised of four business functions: Risk Management (identifying risks and countermeasures), Performance Measurement (providing estimates of levels of benefit fraud and error), Internal Audit (providing independent, objective assurance) and Internal Investigations (investigating allegations of fraud and other serious wrongdoing by the Department's staff and contractors). In October 2011, the Internal Audit and Internal Investigations functions became a separate directorate.
	Allegations of potential fraud or irregularities are investigated by professionally trained staff, who refer the matter to the police where sufficient evidence of criminal offences is discovered. The whole number of full-time equivalent staff employed by Internal Investigations in each year since 2006-07 was:
	
		
			 As at March each year Number of full-time equivalent staff 
			 2007 87 
			 2008 81 
			 2009 71 
			 2010 69 
			 2011 58 
			 2012 49 
		
	
	Increased use of automated tools to support audit trail analysis has improved the efficient identification and appropriate investigation of cases involving the Department's staff, with professionally trained investigators only involved in more serious or criminal cases. This has supported the reduction in investigation staff. There has been no reduction in the capacity to carry out investigations of allegations of external contractor or provider fraud or irregularities. All allegations of suspected staff or contractor fraud continue to be investigated professionally and thoroughly, and, where appropriate, these are referred to the police.
	The budget for Risk Assurance Division (and latterly Internal Audit and Investigations) for each financial year since 2006-07 was:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Risk Assurance Division Internal Investigations 
			 2006-07 28.1 3.7 
			 2007-08 27.4 3.5 
			 2008-09 25.2 3.2 
			 2009-10 23.5 3.0 
			 2010-11 23.4 2.7 
		
	
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Internal Audit & Investigations Internal Investigations 
			 2011-12 7.7 2.2 
		
	
	The number of investigations(1) carried out which involved (a) the Department's staff and (b) external contractors or providers in each year since 2006-07 was:
	
		
			  (a)Staff Investigations (b) Contracted Employment Provision Investigations (b) Other Contractor Investigations(2) 
			 2006-07 702 8 1 
			 2007-08 687 27 3 
			 2008-09 856 29 2 
			 2009-10 961 16 0 
			 2010-11 1,146 25 0 
			 2011-12 537 16. 0 
			 (1 )Data are for the number of investigations closed in each year. (2 )Allegations of procurement fraud or financial irregularities in other contracted services.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of mystery shopper checks that his Department is carrying out at Atos medical assessment centres; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: As part of their contract obligations Atos Healthcare are required to carry out a mystery shopper visit at each Medical Examination Centre (MEC) each contract year. Atos Healthcare is required under contract compliance to confirm in writing that this has been completed.
	The mystery shopping exercise is concerned with the standard of accommodation, health and safety, provision of information at the MEC and presentation of the administration staff at the MEC; for example, are they wearing name badges.
	A report is produced following each site visit and passed to the MEC site manager to initiate any identified action required.
	Copies of the individual visits are provided to the DWP Medical Services Commercial Contracts Team (MSCCT), and if there are any areas of concern identified, these will be raised with Atos Healthcare for any appropriate action.

Unemployment: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many qualified mechanics are registered with jobcentres in east Lancashire.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many qualified mechanics are registered with Jobcentres in East Lancashire. (113654)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has interpreted the number of people registered with Jobcentres as those who are claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance which is compiled from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.
	We have defined East Lancashire as Ribble Valley, Hynburn, Rossendale, Burnley, Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen; and qualified mechanics people reporting their sought occupation as Standard Occupation Classification (2000) 5231—Motor mechanics and auto engineers.
	The number of people seeking jobs as motor mechanics or auto engineers in East Lancashire who were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in May 2012 was 115.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Universal Credit

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether council tax benefit will be included in the universal credit pathfinder schemes.

Steve Webb: Council tax benefit is being abolished in April 2013 and replaced with a new scheme of localised council tax support.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government is taking the Local Government Finance Bill through Parliament which paves the way for the implementation of localised council tax support schemes in England in April 2013.
	This will require local councils to design their own schemes to administer council tax support, working within a framework set out in legislation. The Government has been clear that vulnerable pensioners should be protected, and that the changes should support incentives for people to find and stay in work.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether universal credit will include provision for the costs of temporary and emergency accommodation for (a) homeless families and (b) families awaiting a decision on their homelessness case from their local authority.

Steve Webb: The draft regulations published by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), on 15 June provide for a housing element in the calculation of universal credit, including in cases where rent liability arises from temporary or emergency accommodation.

Universal Credit: Free School Meals

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to announce how free school meals will be included in universal credit.

Chris Grayling: The administration of free school meals is a matter for the Department for Education (DFE). My Department is working closely with colleagues in DFE and other Government Departments and devolved Administrations with responsibility for passported benefits as we tackle the opportunities and challenges in reforming the eligibility criteria for all passported benefits in light of the introduction of universal credit. Our immediate priority is to introduce universal credit in a way that works smoothly with free school meals and other passported benefits.

Universal Credit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training will be provided for staff in Warrington who will be dealing with claims for universal credit under the pathfinder scheme; and how much he has allocated to fund such training in each of the next three years.

Steve Webb: We are currently finalising the detailed design of universal credit including job roles for our staff in the pathfinder. On completion of this work we will have a full understanding of the training needs for our staff. Sufficient funding has been set aside to meet all of the training needs for staff in the pathfinder.

Universal Credit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) face-to-face support, (b) telephone support and (c) other resources will be made available to those claiming universal credit under the pilot scheme who do not have access to the internet or who are unable to use a computer in Warrington.

Steve Webb: The main route to access universal credit will be through online channels. This will free up more adviser time to deliver valuable face-to-face back-to-work support.
	We realise that not everyone is a confident or capable digital user. We are therefore exploring how we could assist people to use digital technology and will be consulting with partner and representative groups as part of this work.
	We also recognise that there will continue to be a minority of claimants who cannot use online services. For those claimants who really need it we will offer alternative access routes.
	Those claiming universal credit in the Pathfinder area will be able to use the following facilities to support their claim:
	(a) Jobcentre support for face to face contact;
	(b) telephony channels; and
	(c) assistance from Pathfinder partner organisations, specifically local authorities.

Universal Credit: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding he has allocated to publicise the universal credit pathfinder scheme in Warrington.

Steve Webb: We are currently working to finalise the Communication Strategy with all universal credit pathfinder locations. Once this strategy is agreed we will then allocate specific funding to publicise the pathfinder scheme.

Work Capability Assessment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to conclude his gold standard review of work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: We are currently working closely with disability organisations to determine how to build an evidence base for their proposed changes to the descriptors used in the WCA.
	Both the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors, and those dealing with fluctuating conditions, will be considered during the review.
	We hope to publish a report of the evidence-based review in the spring of 2013.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many appeals there have been against work capability assessment decisions for each impairment category since April 2011; what proportion of work capability assessment decisions this represents for each impairment category; and how many of the appeals in each impairment category were successful;
	(2)  how many (a) blind and partially sighted people and (b) other jobseekers were declared fit for work following a work capability assessment in each month since June 2011.

Chris Grayling: These statistics have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in initiating the Gold Standard reviews of proposed new descriptors in the work capability assessment for (a) fluctuating conditions and (b) mental health problems; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Since the Government's response to Professor Harrington's second independent review was published in November 2011, we have been carefully considering how to build an appropriate evidence base around the proposed new descriptors.
	Regular meetings with representatives from both groups of charities are being held to develop this work. Terms of reference have been agreed and we aim to publish a report of the Evidence Based Review in the spring of 2013.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of work capability assessment fit-for-work decisions were changed at the reconsideration stage to the (a) work-related activity group and (b) support group in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The requested information is not available.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of Atos work capability assessment fit-for-work recommendations were overturned by decision makers to the (a) work-related activity group and (b) support group in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: These statistics have not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether to include the statistics requested in part of an upcoming statistics release in line with the Code of Practice on Official Statistics.

Work Capability Assessment

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many medical assessments have been undertaken by Atos healthcare as part of a work capability assessment in the last (a) year, (b) six months and (c) month; and how many people (i) failed the work capability assessment, (ii) appealed the decision and (iii) had the decision overturned on appeal in each such period.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest report was published in April 2012 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page =esa_wca
	In the tables Excel file that goes with the report, table 1a shows the outcomes of initial functional assessments for new ESA claims by month of claim start, both in terms of the quantity and proportion allocated to each group, for claims starting between October 2008 and August 2011, the latest data available. Table 1b shows the same information but for repeat assessments.
	Table 3 shows the outcome of appeals heard on Fit for Work decisions in initial functional assessments by month of claim start for claims starting between October 2008 and February 2011, the latest data available. Please note that only information on completed appeals is available.
	In addition, on 15 March 2012, the Department published information on the reassessment of incapacity benefits claimants for employment and support allowance (ESA) on a national level for the first time. The report can be found at the following link:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr
	Table 1 in this report shows the outcomes of initial functional assessments of existing incapacity benefits claimants being reassessed for ESA, both in terms of the quantity and proportion allocated to each group, adjusted to account for completed appeal outcomes, both for the autumn 2010 trial and, nationally, from March to July 2011, the latest data available, by month of referral. It only gives figures adjusted for completed appeal outcomes. Information on initial decisions and appeal outcomes is currently not available.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written answer of 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 793W on work and pensions, if his Department will, in its consideration of future requirements and strategy in relation to contracts for conducting work capability assessments, consider an arrangement that allows for competition between work capability assessment providers through the switching of market share.

Chris Grayling: The recently let Health and Disability Assessment Framework provides a mechanism for introducing competition into delivery by having contracts let from a list of suppliers in geographic lots; it also provides an option for a single national contract. My Department will look at all appropriate commercial options when considering the future work capability assessment requirement and the contracting strategy to deliver it.

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Health

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the suitability of the work capability assessment to establish the capability to work of a person with a mental health condition.

Chris Grayling: We recognise that particular concerns have been raised about the way the WCA works for people with mental health conditions.
	As part of his second independent review, Professor Harrington asked leading charities to make recommendations to refine the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors used in the WCA.
	As part of the Evidence Based Review project, we are currently working with the charities to investigate how to build an evidence base to establish whether the proposed changes would make the assessment more accurate.

JUSTICE

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many breaches of bail occurred when the defendant breached a curfew condition in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such breaches were brought to court for bail to be reconsidered.

Crispin Blunt: In financial year 2011-12, 16,579 defendants breached a bail curfew condition in England and Wales.
	The data are from the electronic monitoring service providers. The information held refers to breaches reported to the courts or to the relevant authority such as Probation Service, Prison Service, Youth Offending Service, or police, and does not necessarily relate to breach action taken.
	It is not possible to provide the number of breaches that were brought to court for bail to be reconsidered except at disproportionate cost. The electronic monitoring service providers are not advised of the outcomes of witness statements provided. Information would be available only through a manual trawl of court or police records.

Channel Islands: Dietary Supplements

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when Ministers in his Department next plan to discuss the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive and the Nutrition and Health Claims regulation with the (a) Chief Minister of Guernsey and (b) Chief Minister of Jersey;
	(2)  what his policy is on the desirability of Crown Dependencies implementing EU legislation that applies to the rest of the UK.

Kenneth Clarke: The Minister of State (Lord McNally) and officials are in regular contact with the Jersey and Guernsey authorities on a range of matters, including the implementation of EU legislation in general and this directive and regulation in particular. Both Crown Dependencies have confirmed they are taking steps to implement these specific measures at the earliest opportunity.
	The Crown Dependencies' relationship with the EU is governed by Protocol 3 of the UK's Treaty of Accession to the European Community. The Crown Dependencies use their domestic legislation to implement EU legislation falling within the parameters of this Protocol. Under Protocol 3, the Islands are part of the customs territory of the Community and the common customs tariff, levies and agricultural import measures apply to trade between the Islands and non-member countries.
	However, other EU legislation does not generally apply. The Crown Dependencies are not part of the UK and it is for their own Governments to decide whether they wish to introduce such measures within their jurisdictions.

Child Protection

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider reviewing section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 in relation to the definition of child neglect.

Crispin Blunt: There are no present plans to amend the law in this area.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place to ensure the Legal Services Commission tendering process for face to face civil legal aid services from April 2013 will be undertaken in such a way as to ensure that claimants in receipt of legal aid can receive expert support from welfare benefit specialists.

Jonathan Djanogly: The current tender exercise for face-to-face contracts for 2013 contracts does not include welfare benefits work. Further to the passing of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) is considering the position on welfare benefits work that remains in scope and how best to secure access to this advice. The LSC will be publishing further details on its website as soon as it is able to confirm arrangements for this work from April 2013.

Community Orders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to require probation trusts to compete for the provision of community supervision services.

Crispin Blunt: On 27 March we published proposals to deliver more effective and efficient probation services, alongside proposals for reforming community sentences. The Government is seeking to extend competition in probation services and give probation trusts a stronger role as commissioners of competed services, in order to better punish and reform offenders and protect the public.
	The consultation closed on 22 June. We intend to publish the Government response to the consultation in the autumn.

Freedom of Information

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to discuss legislative proposals to extend freedom of information legislation to (a) charities, (b) private companies and (c) not-for-profit organisations undertaking duties assigned to them by a public authority.

Kenneth Clarke: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is subject to post-legislative scrutiny by the Justice Select Committee to see how it is working in practice. The Government's "Open Data Consultation" also sought views on the types of organisations to which an Open Data policy would apply. A summary of the responses has been published at:
	www.data.gov.uk
	The Government will consider the recommendations of the Justice Committee, including any in relation to the scope of the FOIA, along with the evidence of the Open Data consultation, before bringing forward any proposals for future policy on Freedom of Information.

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's total procurement expenditure was spent on legal aid providers who are by his Department's definition small and medium-sized enterprises in the (a) fourth quarter of 2010-11, (b) first quarter of 2011-12, (c) second quarter of 2011-12 and (d) third quarter of 2011-12.

Jonathan Djanogly: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			 Period Percentage of Legal Aid Spend with SMEs as a proportion of total procurement expenditure (%) 
			 Q1 2011-12 22 
			 Q2 2011-12 38 
			 Q3 2011-12 36 
		
	
	Legal Aid providers have been included in the Ministry of Justice figures for procurement expenditure with Small and Medium Enterprises since April 2011. Therefore, the proportion of procurement expenditure with Small and Medium Enterprises for the fourth quarter of 2010-11 is not immediately available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 677-8W, on prisoners: repatriation, what the (a) offences committed and (b) nationalities were of each of the prisoners repatriated in (i) 2011, (ii) 2010, (iii) 2009, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2007.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 677-8W, on prisoners: repatriation, whether any of the repatriated prisoners were released from custody in the administering state at a date earlier than they would have been if they remained in a UK prison.

Crispin Blunt: The administration of a prisoner's sentence following repatriation is a matter for the laws of the administering state. As a consequence, release from custody may take place earlier or later than would have been the case had they remained in the United Kingdom.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, columns 677-8W, on prisoners: repatriation, what the average cost was to the public purse of repatriating each foreign national prisoner.

Crispin Blunt: Costs associated with the transfer of a prisoner i.e. flights, and escort costs, are met by the receiving state unless otherwise agreed. Since 2007, NOMS has met the cost of transferring eight foreign national prisoners to their country of origin at an average cost of £3,804.48. Costs associated with the transfer of all other foreign national prisoners during this period were met by the receiving state. Costs associated with the detention of the prisoner following transfer fall to the receiving state.

Prisoners: Veterans

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that former military personnel disclose their military service on reception into prison.

Crispin Blunt: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 358W, in response to a similar question raised by the hon. Member for Luton North (Kelvin Hopkins).
	Prison reception staff are not specifically required to ask newly-arrived prisoners whether they have served in the armed forces. However, prisoners do discuss aspects of their background, including their previous employment, with staff during the induction and assessment process and if this information is disclosed it will be recorded on the prisoner central database and can be shared with other Government Departments and Agencies, both internal and external.
	There are no current plans to introduce amendments to the existing procedures.

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons (a) have adopted mobile telephone blocking technology and (b) plan to adopt mobile telephone blocking technology to prevent the use of mobile telephones by prisoners.

Crispin Blunt: NOMS has trialled a range of mobile signal denial technology in a small number of prisons. It would be inappropriate for operational reasons to provide details of those prisons.
	These trials have demonstrated that equipment can be capable of denying signals to illicit mobile phones within the prison perimeter as required by law and Ofcom regulations, but that this is not a quick, simple or cheap solution.
	NOMS has recently procured a number of short range portable mobile phone blocking devices which prisons can use to complement their wider mobile phone strategies of minimising the number of mobile phones entering prisons, finding phones which do get in and disrupting those which cannot be found. This equipment will be provided shortly.
	In addition, the Prisons (Interference with Wireless Telegraphy) Bill was introduced to Parliament as a Government sponsored Private Members Bill on 20 June 2012 by Sir Paul Beresford.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what savings have accrued from the merger 
	(1)  of (a) West Midlands and Staffordshire, (b) Durham and Teesside and (c) Norfolk and Suffolk probation trusts in 2012-13;
	(2)  of the separate probation areas of Wales into one Wales probation trust in 2012-13.

Crispin Blunt: The mergers led to a reduction in level of resources needed to support the running of back-office functions and this allowed a higher proportion of allocated funding to be utilised on the delivery of front-line services to offenders, victims and the courts.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what plans he has to pilot biometric reporting machines for offenders in any probation area in England and Wales;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the role of biometric reporting machines reducing the risk from offenders.

Crispin Blunt: London Probation Trust is developing a research project to explore the potential use of biometric technology within probation.
	The purpose of the research is to see whether biometric technology can assist probation staff in their work of rehabilitating offenders, which in turn helps to protect the public.

Robbery: Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 87W, on robbery, which courts did not send the defendants listed for 2008, 2009 and 2010 to prison.

Jonathan Djanogly: For the year 2008 Lewes crown court did not send the defendant listed to prison for robbery. Due to incomplete data held on the police's administrative IT system the Ministry of Justice is unable to supply the names of the courts which did not send the defendants listed for the years 2009 and 2010 to prison.
	This information has been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The information is provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were employed by the Tribunals Service to deal with appeal cases received by the First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following table shows the number of administrative staff employed by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to deal with appeals received by the First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support on 31 March of each year between 2009 and 2012 (the latest date for which figures have been published).
	
		
			 Social security and child support tribunal staff numbers 
			  Fixed term contract staff Permanent staff Total number of staff 
			 2009 59 652 711 
			 2010 92 696 788 
			 2011 245 739 984 
			 2012 178 832 1,010 
			 Note: The above data are taken from management information. The figures quoted are for the total number of staff employed and include those who work part-time or on a full-time basis. Some of the staff included may work in multi-jurisdictional centres dealing with other work as well as Social Security and Child Support appeals. 
		
	
	The Social Security and Child Support Tribunal disposed of 380,200 appeals in 2010-11. This is an increase of 36% compared to 2009-10 (279,300) and a 55% increase on 2008-09 (245,500). The Tribunal disposed of 322,700 appeals in the period between April and December 2011 (the latest date for which data have been published).

Young Offender Institutions and Prisons

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the cost was of (a) each visit made by independent adjudicators to young offenders institutions and prisons and (b) all such visits in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how visits made by independent adjudicators to young offender institutions and prisons are funded.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the standard cost charges to establishments in respect of visits made by independent adjudicators to young offenders institutions and prisons for the last five years from 2007-08 to 2011-12.
	
		
			 Adjudication charges 
			 Financial years Standard cost per visit charged to establishments 
			 2007-08 £305 per visit 
			 2008-09 Varied between £305.00-£335.00 per visit 
			 2009-10 Varied between £333.00-£380.00 per visit 
			 2010-11 Varied between £307.00-£360.00 per visit 
			 2011-12 Varied between £345.00-£353.00 per visit 
			 Notes: 1. Charges are on the basis of a standard cost range per visit. 2. The cost per visit can vary due to several factors, eg distance travelled, necessity for an overnight stay and the number of establishments in close proximity visited on a particular journey. It also includes administration charges. 3. For 2007-08, the majority of the figures are derived from our manual system and therefore it has not been possible to provide the range of cost per visit only the standard cost per visit. 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial years Total adjudication costs charged by HM Courts Service/HM Courts and Tribunals Service to NOMS (£) 
			 2007-08(1) (2)— 
			 2008-09 606,081 
			 2009-10 641,712 
			 2010-11 606,945 
			 2011-12(3) 467,309 
			 (1) Manual records in operation. (2) Full year costs not available. (3) Relates to nine months charges: final three months outstanding from HMCTS. 
		
	
	Costs for visits of independent adjudicators to young offender institutions and prisons are a local cost funded from individual establishments' annual budget allocation.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the UK's carbon footprint.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made a pledge to make this the greenest Government ever and the UK leads the world in its ambition for a 50% reduction in emissions through the fourth carbon budget (2023 to 2027).
	Significant steps have been taken to cut emissions. In just one year, carbon emissions within central Government offices were cut by nearly 14% and the Prime Minister has committed Government to go further by reducing emissions by 25% by 2015.
	Emissions projections, published on 13 October 2011, show the UK is on track to meet our first three carbon budgets and our 2020 target to reduce emissions by at least 34%, against the 1990 baseline. The net UK carbon account (emissions allowing for trading) in 2010 was 23% below 1990 levels.
	The Government has demonstrated its determination to support greater energy efficiency across the economy through its work on the Green Deal and the new energy company obligation which will help the poorest and most vulnerable households, and supporting a move to low carbon alternatives to traditional heating through the Renewable Heat Incentive—the first of its kind in the world.
	The Electricity Market Reform programme represents the biggest change to the energy market since privatisation and will transform the UK's electricity sector. Already, the Government has set out a package of reforms (published in a White Paper, July 2011) to deliver secure, low carbon and affordable electricity. These proposals have since been followed up by a ‘technical update' and the publication of a draft Energy Bill which is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny.
	In December 2011, the Government published its Carbon Plan, a comprehensive strategy which set out proposals for achieving emissions reductions committed to in the first four carbon budgets, on a pathway consistent with meeting the 2050 target. The Carbon Plan brought together the Government's strategy to curb greenhouse gas emissions and set out our plans for achieving a 50% reduction in the UK's emissions relative to 1990 by the fourth carbon budget period over 2023 to 2027.

Carbon Emissions: International Co-operation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to include the issue of low carbon growth on the agenda of the G8 under the UK's forthcoming presidency of the G8 in 2013.

Gregory Barker: The UK will assume the presidency of the G8 on 1 January 2013. The G8 is a forum for the leaders of eight of the world's most industrialized nations, aimed at finding common ground on key topics and solutions to global issues. We are currently developing a programme of work for the G8 for 2013, across Government Departments and in consultation with our G8 partners, civil society and business leaders.

Carbon Reduction Commitment

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the operation of legislation on the carbon reduction commitment; and what steps he is taking to reduce the administrative costs for industry of the scheme.

Gregory Barker: The CRC energy efficiency scheme, covering large energy users in the public and private sector, started on 1 April 2010. We have reviewed both the legislation and operation of the scheme in its first years and having listened to the views of participants proposed, on 27 March 2012, a comprehensive simplification package for consultation. Our proposals will ensure the scheme stays true to its intent in changing organisations' behaviour to improve energy efficiency while making compliance easier for participants and significantly less burdensome. We estimate that our proposals will reduce the administrative cost of participants by almost two-thirds. This equates to £330 million savings for CRC participants up to 2030. The consultation closed on 18 June 2012 and we are currently reviewing the responses received.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: DECC was formed in October 2008 and switched suppliers of both gas and electricity with effect from 1 April 2012.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Gregory Barker: With effect from 1 April 2012 DECC's energy suppliers are:
	(a) Gas—Corona;
	(b) Electricity—EDF.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on its (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: DECC was formed in October 2008. Spend on gas and electricity in the DECC estate for financial years 2009-10 to 2011-12 are as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Gas Electricity 
			 2009-10 47,771 176,156 
			 2010-11 19,029 187,606 
			 2011-12 13,709 137,014

Energy Supply

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures he has put in place to ensure transparency during Contracts for Difference strike price administrative price setting prior to progressing the draft Energy Bill.

Charles Hendry: There will be full transparency over the terms of any investment instruments or Contracts for Difference offered to developers of low carbon electricity generating projects ahead of the Energy Bill receiving Royal Assent.
	The draft Energy Bill includes provisions stating that, for an investment instrument to be issued, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change must have laid a draft of the instrument before Parliament, and must have consulted each person who is a holder of a licence to supply electricity under section 6(1)(d) of the Electricity Act 1989 Act before the instrument was laid in Parliament.

Energy: Billing

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the likely cost to the bill payer of a unit of each form of renewable energy in (a) 2012, (b) 2015 and (c) 2020.

Charles Hendry: There are three forms of renewable energy: heat, transport and electricity. The cost of renewable heat technologies is classified as Government spending, which is not passed onto consumers in energy bills, but paid for through taxation. The cost of renewables in transport is determined by the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO), which obligates road transport fuel suppliers to ensure a percentage of fuels they supply in the UK comes from renewable sources. Suppliers pass on the costs of the RTFO to petrol consumers. The cost of renewable electricity support is funded by electricity suppliers through their obligation to pay incentives to renewable generators. Suppliers pass on those charges to electricity customers ie bill-payers.
	The renewable electricity incentives in question are the level of the renewables obligation, the value of levy exemption certificates, and the value of total payments under the feed-in tariffs scheme. Adding these amounts together gives the total net subsidy cost that is assumed to pass through to consumers' bills. The impact on actual bills depends on the level of electricity sales, the number of customers and the average bill size.
	The subsidy cost of renewable electricity per unit generated supported through the renewables obligation in 2012 is estimated to be the value of the levy exemption certificate (around £5/MWh) plus the ROC band multiplied by the value of a ROC (around £45 in 2012-13 prices). These values are uprated in line with the retail prices index each year. Current ROC bands for each individual technology, and proposals for future bands are set out in Table 2 of the RO banding review consultation:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/ro-banding/3235-consultation-ro-banding.pdf
	Under the Electricity Market Reform, the renewables obligation will be closed to new capacity from 1 April 2017 and large scale renewable electricity will be supported through the new FIT with Contract for Difference scheme, which is currently being developed.
	The net subsidy cost for technologies supported through the feed-in tariffs scheme is determined by the level of generation tariffs under the scheme. Future levels of the generation tariff for solar PV from August 2012, and the methodology for setting future levels are set out in the Government response to consultation on Phase 2A of the FITs comprehensive review:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/fits_rev_ph2a/fits_rev_ph2a.aspx
	Proposals for other technologies are set out in the Phase 2B consultation:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/fits_rev_ph2b/fits_rev_ph2b.aspx
	Final decisions on phase 2B are due to be announced in the summer.

Energy: Conservation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what agreements were made on negawatts at the EU Energy Council meeting to discuss the energy efficiency directive on 15 June 2012.

Charles Hendry: At Energy Council on 15 June, the Presidency reported to Ministers that, subject to a plenary vote in the European Parliament, a first reading agreement on the energy efficiency directive had been achieved between the Council and the Parliament earlier in the week. The directive contains a wide range of provisions including, for the first time, binding energy-saving targets for member states to be delivered through deployment of supplier obligation or equivalent policy measures.

Fuel Poverty

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the written ministerial statement of 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 37WS, on fuel poverty, 
	(1)  when he plans to publish the public consultation on improving the framework for tackling fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department plans to take to implement the recommendations in the final report of the Fuel Poverty Review on the long-term sick and fuel poverty; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  whether implementation of the recommendations made in the final report of the Fuel Poverty Review will be part of the public consultation; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Professor Hills's review of fuel poverty looked in detail at the issue of measurement and made a number of recommendations relating to how the current measurement framework could be improved. Following the publication of Professor Hills's final report on fuel poverty the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), announced his intention to adopt a revised approach to measuring fuel poverty and to consulting on that approach. We are planning to publish the consultation in September. This is later than originally anticipated due to the need to undertake analysis to understand the impact of changing the definition.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many procurement card holders in his Department were (a) paid off-payroll, (b) employed on a part-time basis and (c) employed as a non-permanent employee in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: There are currently 166 Government procurement card (GPC) holders in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Of these, one is employed on a part-time basis and is on secondment into DECC and paid off-payroll. A further seven of these are employed on a part-time basis.
	The following table shows previous cardholders.
	
		
			 Year in which GPC cancelled Number Paid off-payroll Part time Non-permanent employee 
			 2012 14 0 0 0 
			 2011 62 0 1 0 
			 2010 23 0 0 0 
			 2009 16 0 1 0

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: The dates of publication of DECC’s Government procurement card expenditure over £500 are as follows:
	April to June 2011: 9 September 2011
	July to September: 4 November 2011
	October 2011: 6 December 2011
	November to December 2011: 2 April 2012
	January to March 2012: will be published shortly.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 15 March 2012, Official Report, column 361W, on the Green Deal Scheme, if he will assess the compatibility of this answer with the provisions of regulation 34 of The Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012.

Gregory Barker: Regulation 34 of the draft Green Deal Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012 prevents Green Deal Providers from including in Green Deal plans a term which restricts a bill payer from changing gas or electricity supplier. So, for example, a Green Deal Provider who is also an energy supplier (or is connected to a supplier) will not be able to use the Green Deal Plan as a way of tying customers to their supply.
	This is different from the provision that will be enacted through a modification to the electricity supply licence conditions: the electricity supplier for a property with a live Green Deal plan must have acceded to the Green Deal Arrangements Agreement (GDAA), and suppliers who have not acceded to the GDAA will not be able to accept customers with Green Deal Plans.
	The licence condition modifications will stipulate that larger electricity suppliers (more than 250,000 customers) must be a party to the GDAA while smaller electricity suppliers (less than 250,000 customers) can choose to accede to the GDAA.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative assessment he has made of the steps consumers will be able to take (a) during and (b) following the controlled launch period of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The carefully managed introduction of the Green Deal framework and the new Energy Company Obligation is designed to ensure that this long-term programme is built on solid foundations. The managed introduction of the programme is subject to parliamentary approval of the legislation laid on 11 June 2012.
	From October, Green Deal assessors will be able to complete assessments and providers will be able to issue quotes so consumers will be ready to complete a Green Deal plan at the end of January when the relevant parts of the framework regulations come into effect. In addition, Green Deal authorised installers will be able to complete work for consumers prior to the end of January if paid for upfront or wholly supported by the Energy Company Obligation.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the £200 million to support incentives for the early adopters of the Green Deal will be drawn from his existing departmental budget.

Gregory Barker: The 2011 autumn statement announced £200 million of additional one-off capital resource to support the Green Deal. This will be added to DECC's departmental budget as £30 million in financial year 2012-13 and £170 million in financial year 2013-14.

Oil

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of 
	(1)  the effect of environmental legislation and policy on the petroleum refining industry;
	(2)  the effect of energy legislation and policy on the petroleum refining industry.

Charles Hendry: DECC has made a number of assessments of the impact of a range of factors on the petroleum refining industry. Most recently, in 2011, we published a detailed study on developments in international downstream oil markets and their drivers, and implications for the UK refining sector. This included an assessment of the effect of energy and environmental legislation and policy on the petroleum refining sector. The report can be found on DECC's website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/downstream_oil/improving/improving.aspx
	DECC is currently working with the industry on a further study, which is looking at a range of factors that could impact on the competitiveness of the UK refining industry to form the basis for a strategic policy framework for the UK refining sector. The study is due to be concluded in autumn 2012.

Renewable Energy: Business

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to promote the use of renewable energy in business.

Gregory Barker: The Government has a number of incentives in place to support renewable generation by businesses, individuals and communities. The renewables obligation (RO) and feed-in tariffs (FITs) support renewable electricity generation, with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) supporting renewable heat.
	In addition, DECC published a Microgeneration Strategy in June 2011. The actions set out in the strategy will support the increased uptake of small-scale localised energy production. Such projects can engage individuals, neighbourhoods, businesses and communities in becoming involved with generating local heat and power.

Warm Front Scheme

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have taken up Warm Front grants since April 2011.

Gregory Barker: 37,925(1) households have been assisted by Warm Front since April 2011.
	(1) As of 31 May 2012.

Warm Front Scheme

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Warm Front scheme, how much remains unallocated of the (a) £110 million available in 2011-12 and (b) £100 million available in 2012-13.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 620W.
	The budget for Warm Front and associated expenditure in 2012-13 is £100 million. Of this, £70.1 million(1) remains available to provide insulation and heating measures to qualifying households.
	(1) Warm Front budget remaining as at 31 May 2012.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what consideration his Department has given to compensating people living in the proximity of wind farms whose property is adversely affected;
	(2)  if he will take steps to require wind farm developers and local authorities to compensate homeowners for any loss of property value arising from aerodynamic modulation noise arising from wind turbines.

Charles Hendry: The evidence of a general fall in property prices caused by the presence of the wind farms is mixed. The Government is nevertheless keen to give host communities a greater stake in local wind farm developments and will be legislating this year to enable local retention of business rates accruing to renewables development over the lifetime of such projects. In addition, many generators have committed to a voluntary contribution to local communities in England of a minimum of £1,000 per megawatt installed capacity per year.
	Studies have considered the noise phenomenon known as amplitude modulation (AM), but show that to date only one wind farm in the UK has presented a noise nuisance to residents. The issue has since been resolved. We will keep the issue of AM under review and welcome the additional research on AM that RenewableUK have commissioned.

Wind Power

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the level of Government support to wind power has been, by category of expenditure, in each of the last 10 years; how much such funding was allotted to landowners in each of those years; and what estimate he has made of the sums to be allocated for similar purposes in each of the next five years.

Charles Hendry: The Government's main mechanism for incentivising large-scale renewable electricity is the renewables obligation (RO), which provides support for eligible generation. Wind farm hosts do not receive public subsidies other than support for eligible generation under the RO.
	The following table sets out the annual RO spend on onshore and offshore wind for each year from 2002-03 to 2010-11 (the latest year for which data are available). RO bands are currently being reviewed and we expect to announce the outcomes shortly.
	
		
			 Annual RO spend on onshore and offshore wind for each year from 2002-03 to 2010-11 
			 £ million (real 2012-13 prices) 
			  2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Onshore 75 91 101 140 258 308 391 425 441 
			 Offshore 0 3 16 26 44 62 94 159 288 
			 Total 75 94 117 166 302 369 485 584 729 
		
	
	In addition, the following table shows UK public energy spend on Research, Development and Demonstration (R,D&D) on wind technology, as reported to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
	
		
			 UK public energy RD&D spend on wind (in 2010 £) 
			  £ million 
			 2001 1.782 
			 2002 2.469 
			 2003 2.873 
			 2004 2.193 
			 2005 19.145 
			 2006 31.989 
			 2007 18.42 
			 2008 4.26 
			 2009 9.474 
			 2010 63.234 
			 Total 155.839 
		
	
	The spending review of November 2010 announced funding of over £200 million for low-carbon technologies over the next four financial years from April 2011. Of this funding, up to £60 million was included to support the establishment of major offshore wind manufacturing facilities at coastal locations in assisted areas of England and the Department announced up to £30 million for offshore wind technology development.

Wind Power

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number and capacity of wind turbines which are (a) operational and (b) in the planning process; and whether his Department relies on the industry trade body to provide statistics on the number and capacity of wind turbines.

Charles Hendry: DECC's Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD)(1) tracks the progress of renewable electricity projects from inception, through planning, construction and operational phases and is updated on a monthly basis. The following tables show the breakdown of wind turbine numbers and capacity for May 2012.
	(1)Note:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database/
	
		
			    (b) Planning Applications—number of turbines 
			 Wind Technology Source (a) Number of operational turbines Submitted Awaiting Construction Under Construction 
			 Wind Offshore REPD 568 1,072 323 863 
			 Wind Onshore REPD 3,311 2,809 1,819 925 
			  RESTATS 318 n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Total  4,197 3,881 2,142 1,788 
		
	
	
		
			   (b) Planning application capacity MW 
			 Wind Technology (a) Operational capacity MW Under construction MW Awaiting construction MW Under consideration MW 
			 Wind offshore 1,858 2,729 988 4,521 
			 Wind onshore 4,794 2,220 4,217 6,451 
			 Total 6,652 4,949 5,205 10,972 
		
	
	The data are derived from REPD surveys, carried out on a monthly basis, and RESTATS data collection activities carried out primarily on an annual basis with estimates on a quarterly basis. Data sources include the Infrastructure Planning Commission, planning authority websites, developers’ websites, trade association websites, journals, ad hoc market intelligence sources, DECC and devolved Government websites/contacts (including S36 Consents), Ofgem ROCs database with crosschecking against other data collection activities such as Renewables UK. It should be noted that within REPD the definition of an operational project requires that every turbine must have generated. The definitions used by other organisations may vary.

Wind Power: Noise

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make an assessment of the work of research in the British Medical Journal by Dr Hanning relating to the effects of wind farm noise on human health.

Charles Hendry: A number of independent peer reviewed research studies commissioned by DECC and its predecessor Departments have looked at the impacts of noise from wind farms and concluded that there is no evidence of direct health effects arising from infrasound or low frequency noise generated by wind turbines.
	The Government reviews new evidence carefully to assess whether these conclusions remain valid. In our assessment the British Medical Journal editorial article of 8 March 2012 on wind turbine noise does not change the conclusion that appropriately sited wind turbines do not have a direct effect on public health.

TREASURY

Asset Owners Disclosure Project

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on encouraging institutional investors to sign up to the Asset Owners' Disclosure Project.

Mark Hoban: Investors can play a positive role in the stewardship of companies. To help them make informed decisions they need to know the risks, including social and environmental, that could impact on the strategy and business model of the firm.
	The Financial Reporting Council's Stewardship Code encourages institutional investors to set out the circumstances when they will actively intervene in the companies they invest in; including the suggestion that institutional investors may want to intervene when they have concerns about the company's approach to the risks arising from social and environmental matters.
	However, it is for individuals and businesses to decide for themselves which, if any, not-for-profit organisations they wish to support or become involved in or with.

Child Benefit: Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency receive child benefit.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the parliamentary question answered on 14 March 2012, Official Report, column 259W.
	The next publication of child benefit statistics will be on 28 February 2013.

Child Care Vouchers

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information employers are required by HM Revenue and Customs to provide to employees when childcare vouchers are offered through a salary sacrifice scheme.

Chloe Smith: General guidance on salary sacrifice arrangements in respect of employer-supported child care is published by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in a number of documents on its website
	www.hmrc.gov.uk
	There is no requirement under the existing legislation for employers to provide any information to employees when child care vouchers are offered through a salary sacrifice arrangement. However, if the child care support provided by the employer exceeds the statutory limits, whether or not salary sacrifice arrangements are in place, the employer must report the excess value of the benefit to HMRC and will also need to inform the employee concerned.

Combined Heat and Power

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on industry of the decision to remove support for combined heat and power;
	(2)  what reduction of indirect supplies of electricity from combined heat and power plants (CHP) he anticipates following the removal of CHP levy exemption certificates from 2013.

Chloe Smith: This Government is committed to creating an environment that supports manufacturing within the UK and continues to incentivise combined heat and power (CHP) overall through public subsidy.
	Budget 2012 announced that the input fuels used to generate heat in high-efficiency CHP plants will be exempt from the carbon price floor, subject to state aid approval. It also announced that we will exempt small scale electricity generators of 2 megawatts capacity and less, removing many CHP stations from the carbon price floor completely.
	Budget 2011 announced the removal of levy exemption certificates from 2013. This exemption was administratively complex and costly to the taxpayer. Budget 2012 announced transitional arrangements to allow electricity generators to use up their remaining levy exemption certificates for a period of five years after the ending of the exemption.
	The impacts of removing the exemption are set out in the Tax Information and Impact Note published at Budget 2012. This can be found on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0700.pdf

Electricity

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the climate change levy minimum carbon floor pricing reforms on petroleum refinery combined heat and power electricity supply.

Chloe Smith: As with other combined heat and power (CHP) stations, good quality petroleum refinery CHPs will be exempt from the carbon price floor on the fossil fuels used to generate heat. In addition, small scale electricity generation (of 2 megawatts capacity and less) is exempt from the carbon price floor. This removes many CHP stations from the carbon price floor completely.
	Taken together, these measures put CHP electricity generation on a level playing field with alternatives, as large CHP stations will pay for the fossil fuels burned to generate electricity, but not heat.
	HM Revenue and Customs have produced a Tax Information and Impact Note on the impacts of these policy changes, along with other changes that have been made to the Carbon Price Floor policy since Budget 2011. This can be found on the HMRC website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0701.pdf

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Chloe Smith: The electricity supplier to the Treasury building changed in October 2008 from E.on to EDF Energy.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury's current energy suppliers are Corona Energy for gas and EDF Energy for electricity.

Equitable Life

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 June 2012, Official Report, columns 557-8W, on Equitable Life, what the frequency is of the updates he receives from the Equitable Life payment scheme.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers receive updates at varying levels of frequency depending on ministerial commitments, the progress of the scheme and the parliamentary timetable.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed three pence increase in fuel duty on (a) private motorists, (b) local businesses and (c) local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Tewkesbury (Mr Robertson), on 13 June 2012, Official Report, column 475W.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the freight transport industry of a reduction in the rate of road fuel duty charged on used cooking oil;
	(2)  how much revenue has accrued to the Exchequer from road fuel duty on fuel gases in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how much he expects to accrue in each of the next three years;
	(3)  how much revenue has accrued to the Exchequer from road fuel duty on used cooking oil in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how much he expects to accrue in each of the next three years;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the likely revenue which will accrue to the Exchequer from road fuel duty from road fuel gases in each of the next three years.

Chloe Smith: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), routinely considers the balance between providing fiscal support through discounted tax rates or market-based mechanisms. The 20p per litre duty differential for used cooking oil came to an end as intended on 31 March 2012. Under changes to the renewable transport fuels obligation, biofuels derived from waste, including used cooking oil, receive twice the level of support as provided to conventional biofuels.
	Information on historic fuel duty receipts by fuel type is published in table 2 of the UK Trade Info Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin at:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
	The forecast of future fuel duty revenues has been published in table 4.7 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2012 “Economic and Fiscal Outlook”. This considers dutied fuels in aggregate rather than individually.

Excise Duties: Fuels

George Freeman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings he has had with (a) representatives of Fair Fuel UK and (b) the automotive industry on fuel duty; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Excise Duties: Fuels

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will review the effect of the removal of the reduced rate of fuel duty on that part of fuel made up of used cooking oil on (a) the freight transport industry, (b) consumers and (c) bus operators;
	(2)  what fiscal steps he is taking to support the use of (a) gas powered heavy goods vehicles and (b) other gas powered vehicles.

Chloe Smith: The 20p per litre duty differential for used cooking oil came to an end as intended on 31 March 2012. Under changes to the renewable transport fuel obligation (RTFO), biofuels derived from waste including used cooking oil receive twice the level of support as provided to conventional biofuels. An impact assessment was published by the Department for Transport on 7 November 2011, at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-05
	Cars that have been constructed or modified to run on road fuel gases benefit from a £10 reduction in taxation levels for alternative fuel cars under vehicle excise duty. Owners of liquefied petroleum gas capable vehicles benefit from a fuel duty reduction worth the equivalent of 35.79p per litre compared with petrol, and natural gas capable vehicle owners from a reduction worth in excess of 40p per litre. Budget 2012 extended the existing 100% first-year capital allowance for gas refuelling equipment for two years to 31 March 2015.

Experian

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) cost and (b) duration is of the contract between Experian, the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs to use data to detect fraud and error in tax credits and other benefits.

David Gauke: holding answer 19 June 2012
	The contract with Experian is for 12 months and is due to expire in early December 2012.
	The total cost of the contract is not yet known because it is being delivered through a Payment by Results model. This means that Experian receive payment when they help HMRC and DWP deliver their targets to reduce fraud and error.
	HMRC does not expect payment to exceed £170,000 in total by the end of the contract.

Financial Services

John Glen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 842W, on financial services, 
	(1)  how he proposes that the level of compliance with the Retail Distribution Review will be measured;
	(2)  when he expects the detail of the Retail Distribution Review in respect of platform rebates will be published;
	(3)  for what reasons he proposes that the cost of advice will be listed separately from any platform costs and the costs associated with fund management;
	(4)  if he plans to include (a) dealing costs, (b) initial charges and (c) platform charges in the (i) total expense ratio and (ii) ongoing charge.

Mark Hoban: The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) is the responsibility of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body. These questions have been passed on to the FSA, which will reply to you directly by letter. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Income Tax: British Nationals Abroad

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue the exchequer received from income tax paid by UK citizens abroad in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: Estimated income tax liabilities for those with a tax correspondence address which is abroad are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Income tax (£ million) 
			 2005-06 1,280 
			 2006-07 1,630 
			 2007-08 2,100 
			 2008-09 (1)— 
			 2009-10 2,160 
			 (1) Figures for 2008-09 tax year are not currently available. 
		
	
	Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2009-10 are the latest outturn data available.
	A breakdown of these liabilities arising between UK citizens and others is not available through income tax data.

Income Tax: Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency pay tax at (a) 20, (b) 40 and (c) 50 per cent.

David Gauke: It is estimated that there were 45,000 basic rate taxpayers and 3,000 higher rate taxpayers in Rutherglen and Hamilton West parliamentary constituency in 2009-10.
	These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data, the latest outturn survey available. Reliable estimates for later years based on the projected SPI data, are not available due to greater uncertainties in projections for small geographical areas.
	Estimates of additional rate taxpayer numbers in 2010-11 from Self Assessment data are not published for local areas.

Loans: Republic of Ireland

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when the Republic of Ireland is due to begin repayment of the UK contribution to the EU-IMF bailout programme;
	(2)  by what date the Republic of Ireland is (a) required and (b) expected to have repaid in full the UK contribution to the joint EU-IMF bailout programme.

Mark Hoban: As part of a €67.5 billion international financial assistance package, the UK has made a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion available to Ireland. The UK also holds a contingent liability for any loans made through the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism. With regard to IMF involvement, the UK lends to the IMF as an institution and not to particular programmes. The repayment arrangements for the UK's bilateral loan to Ireland are set out in the Loan Agreement which I deposited in the Library of the House on 10 January 2011. The Government expects it to be repaid in full.
	Each tranche of the loan is due for repayment in full, 7.5 years following the date of disbursement. The maturity dates of the tranches disbursed to date are: 15 April 2019, 30 July 2019 and 30 September 2019.
	Interest on each disbursed tranche of the loan is payable every six months on 15 December and 15 June until its maturity date.
	Disbursements made under the bilateral loan to Ireland are conditional on successful completion of EU/IMF reviews and also require Ireland to make a formal drawdown request. Consequently, future disbursement (and therefore, maturity) dates are not set. However, under the terms of the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, the Treasury may make payments to Ireland until 8 December 2015. We can therefore expect the very latest maturity to be 7.5 years following this date.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the number of employers who do not use commercial payroll software; and on what date this estimate was made.

David Gauke: Quantitative research undertaken by HMRC in November 2011, with a sample size of 711 employers, suggested that 23% of employers do not currently use a payroll agent or commercial software for PAYE. Most of those employers said they used HMRC's free products.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate (a) the total cost to employers of commercial payroll software, (b) the number of employers who will upgrade their commercial payroll software and (c) the amount this upgrade will cost per employer as a result of PAYE Real Time information.

David Gauke: Total software costs have not yet been estimated. Software developers will need to implement changes in their products, and these costs may be passed on to employers via increased software charges. HMRC is working closely with software developers on the implementation of RTI but, for commercial reasons, many developers are not prepared to disclose their development costs or upgrade charges. Some employers are also expected to move to using software for the first time.
	Employers with nine or fewer employees will have the option to use HMRC’s free Basic PAYE Tools.
	Indicative costs for those purchasing commercial software for the first time are currently in the region of £200 to £300 but some software developers provide payroll packages free of charge for employers with nine or fewer employees and other packages are available from less than £70.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost of PAYE to (a) all businesses, (b) micro-businesses with one to nine employees, (c) small businesses with 10 to 49 employees, (d) medium-sized businesses with 50 to 249 employees and (e) large businesses with over 250 employees.

David Gauke: Reliable estimates of administrative burdens, broken down by business size, are not available within HMRC.
	HMRC expects the current costs of operating PAYE to fall with transition to RTI. Administrative burden savings to all businesses under RTI are estimated to be £300 million per year from 2014-15. HMRC accepts that this figure may change as business impacts are better understood through the pilot, but expects the final impact to be a significant net saving.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs has estimated the administrative cost of PAYE under Real Time Information for (a) each size category of business in terms of employees and (b) the payroll practice sector.

David Gauke: Reliable estimates of administrative burdens, broken down by business size or sector, are not available within HMRC.
	HMRC expects the current costs of operating PAYE to fall once Real Time Information (RTI) has been implemented. Administrative burden savings to all businesses under RTI are estimated to be £300 million per year from 2014-15. HMRC accepts that this figure may change as business impacts are better understood through the pilot, but expects the final impact to be a significant net saving.

PAYE

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration HM Revenue and Customs has given to providing the option of monthly filing of the full-payment submission as opposed to filing the full-payment submission at or before the point of payment for PAYE Real Time Information; if he will estimate the administrative cost of PAYE to businesses of each size under monthly filing; and if he will estimate the administrative cost of PAYE to business under PAYE Real Time Information reporting.

David Gauke: The introduction of real time reporting of PAYE information is expected to generate annual saving to all businesses of £300 million per year from 2014-15 as a result of employers integrating reporting to HMRC with their normal payroll activity. HMRC accepts that this figure may change as business impacts are better understood through the pilot but expects the final impact to be a significant net saving.
	Monthly returns would have generated a reconciliation and reporting process at the end of each month, outside the normal payroll process, and as a consequence created an additional burden on the employer.
	Reliable estimates of administrative burdens, broken down by business size or sector, are not available within HMRC.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the Barnett consequentials that would be paid to Scotland for the UK Government's funding of phase one of High Speed Rail 2.

Danny Alexander: The funding for High Speed Rail has yet to be decided. The Barnett formula will be applied in the usual way to any additions to the Department for Transport's budget.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Barnett consequentials have been paid to Scotland for the UK Government's funding of the Crossrail project.

Danny Alexander: The Barnett formula is applied at departmental level in accordance with the ‘Statement of Funding Policy’. Full details of the Department of Transport's settlement for the 2010 spending review are set out in the Treasury publication ‘Spending Review 2010’. The settlement included provision to enable Crossrail to go ahead.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of measures in the 2012 Budget in reducing tax avoidance through the K2 tax avoidance scheme.

Chloe Smith: The Government is aware of the K2 scheme. The scheme was already under investigation by HMRC prior to the publication of recent articles in the press.
	HMRC does not nonetheless believe that the scheme achieves the effect that is claimed and will challenge it in every way available. The Government expects the General Anti-Abuse Rule announced in the Budget will be a useful additional tool to help HMRC tackle tax avoidance.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely level of revenue lost to the exchequer through the use of tax avoidance schemes by individuals in each of the next three years.

Chloe Smith: Forecasts of likely revenue lost to the Exchequer from individuals' tax avoidance are not produced.
	The most recent estimate of the net tax gap due to avoidance is published in Measuring Tax Gaps 2011:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/mtg-2011.pdf
	The total tax gap is estimated to be around £35 billion in 2009-10. Of this total figure, the estimated tax lost to avoidance by all taxpayers and across all taxes was around £5 billion.
	Measuring Tax Gaps also provides some information on the components of that overall figure. It estimates that the net tax gap for income tax, national insurance contributions and capital gains tax due to avoidance was £1.5 billion in 2009-10.
	HMRC monitors, investigates and challenges emerging avoidance schemes, and, where necessary, advises the Government to take legislative action to close schemes down.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to bring forward legislation to close down the K2 tax avoidance scheme.

Chloe Smith: The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review. HMRC does not believe that the scheme achieves the effect that is claimed and will challenge it nonetheless in every way available. The Government will announce a change in the law if this becomes necessary.

UK Membership of EU

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of the UK's membership of the EU in each of the next three years.

Mark Hoban: The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest forecast of UK contributions to the EU budget over the period 2010-11 to 2016-17 was published in March 2012. This can be found in Table 2.15 of the OBR's “economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables” at
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/

UK Membership of EU

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the net cost to the public purse was of the UK's membership of the EU in each year between 2005 and 2012; and what estimate he has made of such costs in each of the next three years.

Mark Hoban: Details of the UK's contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2005-06 to 2009-10 were published in December 2011 in Table 3C (page 19) of European Union Finances 2011 (Cm 8232). This document is available in the House Library.
	The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest forecast of UK contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2010-11 to 2016-17 was published in March 2012. This can be found in Table 2.15 of the OBR's “economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal tables” at:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/

Unpaid Taxes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 21 July 2010, Official Report, column 388W, on unpaid taxes, what the change was in the level of receivables owed to his Department between 31 March 2010 and the most recent date for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The most recent published HMRC accounts are those for 2010-11 and note 7 to the Trust Statement shows total receivables of £29.5 billion as at 31 March 2011. Note 6 to the 2009-10 Trust Statement shows total receivables of £26.1 billion as at 31 March 2010. Receivables represent all liabilities that have been established irrespective of whether they are due or overdue.

VAT

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Office of Police Commissioners in England will be liable for payment of VAT.

David Gauke: The new police and crime commissioners in England and Wales and the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime will be liable to pay VAT on taxable purchases. However, police and crime commissioners will be able to recover the VAT paid on purchases made to support their non-business activities under the section 33 refund scheme of the VAT Act 1994.

VAT

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received from the Scottish Government on the VAT liability of a single Scottish police force;
	(2)  what discussions Ministers and officials in his Department have had with the Scottish Government on the payment of VAT by a single Scottish police force.

David Gauke: The Treasury has had various discussions with and received representations from the Scottish Government since December 2011, about VAT and the Scottish police force.

VAT

Karl Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on unemployment in Hull of the proposed five per cent increase in VAT on the sale of static caravans;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the static caravan industry of the proposed five per cent increase in VAT on the sale of static caravans.

David Gauke: An assessment of the impact of levying VAT on the sale of static caravans was set out in the consultation document “VAT: Addressing Borderline Anomalies” published at the time of the Budget. An updated assessment will be published as part of the Government's response to the consultation.

VAT: Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency were registered for VAT in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made of the number of businesses in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency registered for VAT in each of the last three years. The number of Value Added Tax registrations by parliamentary constituency up until 2008 can be found in the report ‘Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations', published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform:
	http://stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat/
	This report was discontinued in 2008.

VAT: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland were registered for VAT, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Between 2007 and 2008, the number of businesses registered for value added tax in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland at the start of the year is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Scotland constituency 2007 2008 
			 Aberdeen North 1,730 1,915 
			 Aberdeen South 3,605 3,920 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 1,430 1,485 
			 Angus 2,515 2,665 
			 Argyll and Bute 3,590 3,625 
			 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 2,390 2,430 
			 Banff and Buchan 3,865 3,960 
			 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 3,945 3,970 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 2,645 2,685 
			 Central Ayrshire 1,805 1,870 
		
	
	
		
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 1,600 1,735 
			 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East 1,305 1,410 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 3,785 3,805 
			 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 3,525 3,585 
			 Dundee East 1,385 1,460 
			 Dundee West 1,725 1,740 
			 Dunfermline and West Fife 1,800 1,875 
			 East Dunbartonshire 1,830 1,905 
			 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 2,175 2,320 
			 East Lothian 2,380 2,385 
			 East Renfrewshire 1,910 1,960 
			 Edinburgh East 2,210 2,320 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 5,440 5,680 
			 Edinburgh South 1,680 1,700 
			 Edinburgh South West 1,955 2,060 
			 Edinburgh West 1,930 2,000 
			 Falkirk 1,925 2,055 
			 Glasgow Central 6,385 6,440 
			 Glasgow East 1,120 1,205 
			 Glasgow North 1,475 1,525 
			 Glasgow North East 975 1,030 
			 Glasgow North West 1,015 1,105 
			 Glasgow South 1,300 1,400 
			 Glasgow South West 1,000 1,040 
			 Glenrothes 1,360 1,405 
			 Gordon 3,985 4,330 
			 Inverclyde 1,275 1,350 
			 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 3,205 3,280 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 2,165 2,205 
			 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 1,730 1,800 
			 Lanark and Hamilton East 2,610 2,705 
			 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 2,195 2,365 
			 Livingston 2,035 2,165 
			 Midlothian 1,770 1,820 
			 Moray 2,650 2,695 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 1,375 1,445 
			 Na h-Eileanan an Iar 1,010 980 
			 North Ayrshire and Arran 1,965 1,995 
			 North East Fife 2,390 2,415 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 3,020 3,120 
			 Orkney and Shetland 2,735 2,670 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire North 1,970 2,075 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire South 1,530 1,605 
			 Perth and North Perthshire 3,215 3,230 
			 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 3,335 3,360 
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 1,545 1,630 
			 Stirling 3,230 3,355 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 4,000 4,270 
			 West Dunbartonshire 1,265 1,360 
			 Total 136,915 141,895 
		
	
	These figures originate from the report “Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations”, published by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in November 2008. This report has now been discontinued. An extended series covering later years can be produced only at disproportionate costs.

Welfare Tax Credits: Lanarkshire

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency were in receipt of each type of tax credit in the last three years.

David Gauke: This information is published in the HMRC publication series ‘Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised annual awards. Geographical analysis.'
	Information for the last three years available can be found here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/final-award-geog.htm
	Table 3 in each of these publications has the information by parliamentary constituency.
	For ease, the figures for Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency are recreated in the following table.
	
		
			 Average number of benefiting families in Rutherglen and Hamilton West 
			 thousand 
			   In-work families  
			   With children    
			    Receiving CTC only  With no children  
			  Total out-of-work families Receiving WTC and CTC More than the family element Family element or less Of which: lone parents Receiving WTC only Total in receipt (out-of-work and in-work families) 
			 2010-11 2.6 3.9 1.2 3.1 3.1 1.4 12.2 
			 2009-10 2.6 3.8 1.2 3.2 3.1 1.2 12.0 
			 2008-09 2.6 3.7 1.1 3.4 3.1 1.1 11.9 
		
	
	Information for 2011-12 will be published in May 2013.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals he plans to put to the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan on the position of women and minorities.

Andrew Mitchell: The Tokyo conference is an opportunity to agree the principles that will guide Afghanistan through the ‘Transformation Decade’ (2015-24). We are working with the Government of Afghanistan, Japan and other international partners to ensure that the conference reinforces the importance of ongoing support for the rights of women and minorities as enshrined in the Afghan constitution.

Azerbaijan

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps he has taken to assist refugees and internally displaced persons in Azerbaijan.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not work directly in Azerbaijan. However we do provide core funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) which provides protection and assistance to refugees and internally displaced people. UNHCR are pursuing structured consultations with the State Migration Service, Parliament and law enforcement bodies in Azerbaijan to strengthen their asylum system. Refugees living in urban areas will be assisted to become self-reliant.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: DFID has not changed gas supplier over this period but has made one change in our electricity supplier. In July 2003, our London office moved from Bizz Energy to our current supplier, EDF, and our East Kilbride office changed from Scottish Power, also to EDF.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Alan Duncan: The current energy suppliers for both of the DFID's UK offices are:
	(a) Gas: Corona Energy, and
	(b) Electricity: EDF Energy.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: The amounts spent on gas and electricity in the DFID's UK offices over the last 10 years is as set out as follows.
	
		
			 Gas 
			  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 54,336 
			 2003-04 57,692 
			 2004-05 67,911 
			 2005-06 104,297 
			 2006-07 139,854 
			 2007-08 103,294 
			 2008-09 69,756 
			 2009-10 100,541 
			 2010-11 59,804 
			 2011-12 53,237 
		
	
	
		
			 Electricity 
			  Amount (£) 
			 2002-03 264,659 
			 2003-04 285,970 
			 2004-05 336,880 
			 2005-06 479,125 
			 2006-07 620,304 
			 2007-08 573,520 
			 2008-09 405,828 
			 2009-10 669,715 
			 2010-11 502,612 
			 2011-12 474,580 
		
	
	The reduction in expenditure in recent years is mainly attributable to energy efficiency measures which have reduced our consumption, and partly to fluctuations in tariff prices.

Procurement

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department plans to further streamline its procurement strategy.

Alan Duncan: DFID is committed to the coalition Government procurement reform objectives being led by the Government Procurement Service within the Cabinet Office. The Department will use the central contracts mentioned in the reform objectives for the nine common procurement categories.
	The Department is also making good progress in the area of staff training and developing our key systems, embedding best practices and implementing new coalition Government procurement policy directives. The Department's compliance with Government targets is high and in some areas, such as contracting with small and medium-sized enterprises, has exceeded its targets.

World Refugee Day

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to mark World Refugee Day.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have any specific plans to mark World Refugee Day.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress was made on increasing stability in Afghanistan at the NATO summit in Chicago; whether any discussions took place on (a) violence against women and (b) co-ordination on this issue between (i) the Ministry of Defence and (ii) the Department for International Development; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: At the NATO Chicago summit, the international community clearly demonstrated its commitment to increasing stability in Afghanistan. All 50 International Security Assistance Force partners signed the NATO Strategic Plan which set out NATO's post-2014 role and its long-term relationship with Afghanistan. International Security Assistance Force partners delivered on the commitments made at the Bonn Conference with credible financial contributions to sustain the Afghan National Security Forces beyond the end of security transition.
	There were discussions on UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. The summit communiqué reaffirmed NATO's commitment to full implementation of UNSCR 1325 and also endorsed a Strategic Progress Report on mainstreaming UNSCR 1325 into NATO-led operations and missions.
	Discussions on internal UK co-ordination did not take place at the NATO Chicago summit. The Department for International Development, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continue to co-ordinate their defence, diplomatic and development activities in Afghanistan to promote the inclusion of women in conflict resolution through a specific country action plan for Afghanistan contained in the UK's National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325.

Afghanistan

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what level his Department will be represented at the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), will lead the UK delegation to the Tokyo conference. The UK Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mark Sedwill, will accompany him.

Anguilla

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the number of (a) murders that there have been in Anguilla and (b) convictions resulting from such murders in each of the last five years.

Henry Bellingham: There has generally been a low level of crime in Anguilla over the last five years. We are concerned, however, by a recent increase in violent crime with three violent deaths in the last two months. The police have responded quickly and charged suspects in relation to two of the murders. Investigations are ongoing.
	The Police Commissioner in Anguilla has confirmed that the last known violent death was in 2009 and that there was also one violent death in 2008, both of which were resolved. In 2007 there were four violent deaths of which two were resolved by the police.
	The Caribbean Overseas Territories Law Enforcement Advisor, based in Miami, is in frequent communication with and visits all the Overseas Territories, including Anguilla, regularly to advise the Governor and the Commissioner of Police on strategies to tackle crime. He last visited Anguilla on 18-20 June this year. The UK Government has agreed to fund technical support to assist in the detection of crime.

Argentina

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to end the blocking of British trade to Argentine ports.

Jeremy Browne: We are concerned that the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers union (CATT) is currently boycotting ships flying the British flag or the red ensign of other UK territories, which has resulted in several British-flagged vessels being refused tug boat services to access Argentine ports.
	This, along with a range of other Argentine measures directed towards British and Falkland Island trade interests is deeply disappointing and goes against the principles of open and transparent trade. The British Government have raised their concerns with Argentina directly and made clear our opposition to actions against legitimate commercial activity. We have also issued advice to British interests in the region, outlining the potential impact of Argentine trade action. The UK fully supports the EU’s decision to initiate a World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement case against Argentina’s restrictive import measures. It is essential that all WTO members meet their obligations to abide by WTO rules.

Euro 2012

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any member of the Government is due to attend any matches that England will play following their qualification in the group stages of the European football championships.

William Hague: The Government regret that this question is no longer relevant.

Falkland Islands

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the quantity of commercially viable oil deposits in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands.

Jeremy Browne: Hydrocarbon exploration is a legitimate commercial venture and the British Government fully support the rights of the Falkland Islanders to develop their hydrocarbons sector.
	The total extent of the hydrocarbon deposits are not fully known, but Rockhopper Exploration have declared a commercially viable find in the Northern Basin, and Borders and Southern have declared an untested gas condensate discovery from the Southern Basin. The results of the continuing exploration are required to make any meaningful long-term assessment. Drilling results so far are encouraging.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office published Government Procurement Card spending on the following dates:
	
		
			 Expenditure Date Date Published 
			 April to August 2011 27 October 2011 
			 September 2011 3 January 2012 
			 October 2011 3 January 2012 
			 November 2011 11 May 2012 
			 December 2011 11 May 2012 
			 January 2012 15 May 2012

Greece

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of anti-Semitism in Greece; and if he will make a statement. [R]

David Lidington: The Government have not received recent reports of anti-Semitism in Greece. Sporadic desecration of monuments does occur. The election of 18 neo-Nazi MPs, from the Golden Dawn party, in the general election on 17 June, is however a cause for concern.

Iran

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral discussions he has had with his counterparts in (i) China and (ii) Russia on tightening sanctions against Iran.

Alistair Burt: The UK regularly raises the importance of international sanctions on Iran, particularly recent oil measures, in bilateral and multilateral discussions with China and Russia. We believe sanctions are a key reason why Iran recently agreed to talks with the E3+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, UK, US). In April, the UN Security Council's Iran Sanctions Committee (which includes Russia and China) imposed new sanctions on two individuals and one company involved in Iranian arms smuggling.

Israel

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli Government on administrative detention.

Alistair Burt: We continue to raise our concerns over the extensive use of administrative detention with the Israeli authorities, pressing for Israel to either charge, or release administrative detainees.
	We welcome Israel’s recent agreement to limit the use of administrative detention and solitary confinement and reinstate family visits for detainees. These are important issues which we have repeatedly raised with the Israeli Government, including in early May with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Vice Prime Minister and National Security Adviser. We are following closely the implementation of the agreement reached to end the recent mass hunger strike and its impact on the situation of Palestinian detainees.

Israel

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the arrest of Nabil Al-Raee, Artistic Director of the Freedom Theatre of Jenin; and if he will make representations to the Government of Israel on this issue.

Alistair Burt: We have received reports that Nabil Al-Raee was arrested in relation to the investigation into the murder of Juliano Mer-Khamis, a founder of the Freedom Theatre. He is being accused of being indirectly related to the murder.
	A group of Israeli soldiers arrested Al-Raee at the family's home in the early morning of 6 June. He was, until Tuesday 19 June, being held in Jalameh prison in northern Israel and was subsequently transferred to the Ashkelon prison facility.
	Our officials in Tel Aviv have not raised the Al-Raee case specifically, but they have discussed the Freedom Theatre in Jenin with the Israeli authorities previously. Our officials in Jerusalem have also held a meeting with Al-Raee's lawyer recently to discuss this issue.

Jordan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Jordanian Government on forthcoming parliamentary elections.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I most recently discussed the forthcoming parliamentary elections with King Abdullah of Jordan on 18 June during the King’s visit to London. The Foreign Secretary welcomed the creation of the Independent Electoral Commission and agreed with the King the importance of holding inclusive, free and fair elections by the end of the year.

Jordan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Jordanian Government on the safety of Afaq Ahmed.

Alistair Burt: To date, this case has not been raised in our discussions with the Jordanian Government.

Papua

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the (a) death of Mako Tabuni, the leader of the West Papua national Committee and (b) effect on civilians of operations undertaken by Indonesian police and military in West Papua in the last three months; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: Our embassy in Jakarta reported that the Indonesian security forces had shot dead Mako Tabuni on 14 June. However, the circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear. The police in Indonesia have stated that Mako Tabuni was approached by police in connection with recent shootings in Jayapura and that he resisted arrest. However, some sources in the press dispute this. The recent upsurge in violence in Papua, centred on Jayapura and Wamena, has created tension across Papua. This no doubt undermines the trust between the authorities, the activists and ordinary people, and the work to resolve regional governance disputes. Our embassy in Jakarta has raised our concerns about the security situation with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is monitoring the situation closely. The UK encourages meaningful dialogue between all parties and remains committed to urging all levels of Government to work with the Papuans towards resolving regional governance issues peacefully.

Sri Lanka

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the military presence in northern Sri Lanka on the prospects for reconciliation in that country.

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about the role of the military in the north and east of Sri Lanka. We support the recommendation of Sri Lanka's Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) that the Northern Province should return to civilian administration and the presence of the military should progressively recede to the background.

Syria

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the involvement of Vladimir Lisin in the shipment of Russian arms to Syria.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of media reports linking Vladimir Lisin to the ship, Professor Katsman, which docked in Tartus in Syria at the end of May. We are looking into these reports.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in Syria following the Kofi Annan peace plan.

Alistair Burt: We have seen a recent escalation of violence across Syria. This has led General Mood to suspend operations by the UN Supervision Mission in Syria because of the increased risk to his observers. Following the meeting between the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and UN/Arab League Special Envoy, Kofi Annan, on 21 June they expressed their deep concern at the situation in Syria.
	The Secretary of State has reiterated his continuing support for Kofi Annan's six-point plan, which remains the best hope to achieve an end to violence and a genuine, peaceful political transition. He made clear that the UK would continue to do all that it could to compel the regime to implement the plan in full, and encourage all parties to step back from confrontation. The Secretary of State reiterated to Kofi Annan that the UK stood ready to pursue robust action at the United Nations in support of his work.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: South West

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the performance of NHS Accident and Emergency departments against the four hour maximum waiting time target for each hospital in south west England in the (a) most recent period for which figures are available and (b) period prior to the most recent period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The data requested are in the public domain and have been published on a weekly basis since November 2010. The information can be found via the following website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/WeeklySituationReports/index.htm

Accidents: Older People

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance to the NHS on the coding of falls and related injuries in older people.

Paul Burstow: The coding of falls and related injuries in older people is currently supported by national clinical coding guidance. The national clinical coding standards (including the standard for geriatric/elderly falls) are contained within the National Clinical Coding Standards ICD-10 fourth Edition for use by health informatics professionals and clinical coders.

Pain Relief

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the advice given by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on acupuncture as a pain management treatment.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and its clinical guidelines, developed through a rigorous and consultative process, are widely recognised as authoritative guidance for the national health service. Local commissioners are expected to take account of NICE and other professional guidance in determining the services they commission for their local populations in the light of local needs and priorities.

Breasts: Plastic Surgery

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breast reduction operations have taken place on the NHS in each of the last five years; and what the age of the patient was in each case.

Simon Burns: The information requested is available in the following table.
	
		
			 Total count of all breast reduction procedures(1) by age for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11(2) 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Age 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total 4,552 4,116 3,870 4,578 4,212 
			 10 and Under — — — — — 
			 11 — * — — — 
			 12 — * — — — 
			 13 * * * — — 
			 14 * * * * * 
			 15 7 * * 7 * 
			 16 17 15 21 16 12 
			 17 45 42 42 52 25 
			 18' 69 61 67 87 62 
			 19 60 66 66 100 66 
			 20 92 87 74 80 66 
			 21 . 83 79 68 97 61 
			 22 95 64 85 88 61 
			 23 74 74 61 79 65 
			 24 98 54 67 85 51 
			 25 71 63 49 61 46 
			 26 77 56 58 66 51 
			 27 81 50 48 60 51 
			 28 53 60 55 55 50 
		
	
	
		
			 29 62 58 54 47 42 
			 30 53 66 52 51 49 
			 31 64 78 44 54 55 
			 32 86 48 56 57 43 
			 33 97 57 60 44 48 
			 34 108 82 57 70 52 
			 35 136 80 70 70 51 
			 36 126 100 62 94 68 
			 37 138 98 84 82 66 
			 38 136 110 92 105 74 
			 39 129 107 103 106 97 
			 40 116 115 98 103 92 
			 41 123 111 96 109 104 
			 42 133 112 104 114 99 
			 43 120 152 104 101 106 
			 44 135 112 121 127 110 
			 45 104 124 113 126 121 
			 46 100 91 111 123 118 
			 47 85 86 104 125 114 
			 48 114 91 92 119 118 
			 49 107 99 66 109 104 
			 50 103 105 76 112 117 
			 51 108 94 80 117 120 
			 52 111 83 101 121 117 
			 53 113 118 80 114 119 
			 54 86 86 81 101 100 
			 55 89 92 82 100 95 
			 56 80 80 93 100 106 
			 57 91 80 76 89 87 
			 58 89 76 87 91 92 
			 59 78 66 67 95 82 
			 60 53 76 68 78 84 
			 61 59 53 79 88 93 
			 62 40 59 65 95 95 
			 63 44 57 41 52 77 
			 64 36 29 51 49 72 
			 65 28 30 38 44 57 
			 66 32 30 27 47 55 
			 67 19 30 26 45 42 
			 68 19 23 35 28 37 
			 69 9 18 21 29 35 
			 70 17 16 21 20 29 
			 71 10 12 9 16 18 
			 72 7 20 15 7 23 
			 73 7 * 9 16 13 
			 74 * * 6 12 12 
			 75 * * 7 * 9 
			 76 * 6 * 10 * 
			 77 * * * 7 * 
			 78 * * 6 * * 
			 79 * — * * * 
			 80 * — * * * 
			 81 * * — * * 
			 82 — * — * — 
			 83 * — — * — 
			 84 * — — * * 
			 85 — * — — — 
			 86 — — — — — 
			 87 — — — * * 
			 88 — — — — — 
			 89 — — — — — 
			 90 — — — — * 
		
	
	
		
			 91 and Over — — — — — 
			 Unknown * * * * * 
			 (1 )Total number of (named) procedures The total number of (named) procedures recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) episode. If a procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field during an episode, all instances are counted. OPCS Code used: B31.1—Reduction mammoplasty (2 )Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Activity included Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. By convention, figures which could risk identifying single patients (figures of five or less) are withheld and have been replaced by an *. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Cancer

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the remit of the NHS Commissioning Board will include improving the quality of cancer services.

Paul Burstow: Yes. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the NHS Commissioning Board will have a duty to promote a comprehensive health service, and will have a general duty about securing continuous improvement in the quality of all services.

Cancer

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 20 May 2011 entitled Government commits funding to maintain vital cancer networks, what steps his Department is taking to support the strengthening of cancer networks.

Paul Burstow: We have already made it clear that there is a role for clinical networks, such as cancer networks, in the new health system, as a place where clinicians from different sectors come together to improve the quality of care across integrated pathways.
	The cancer networks are a clear example of how this way of working delivers better quality. That is why the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced in May 2011 that cancer networks would continue to be funded in 2012-13 and that the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) would support strengthened cancer networks.
	The NHS CB authority will publish its recommendations for clinical networks in the new health system in summer.

Cancer: Children

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have received NHS funding for proton beam therapy abroad since the treatment became available; and when he expects the first child cancer patients to be able to receive this therapy in the UK.

Paul Burstow: Since 2008, patients with ‘high priority' cancer types have been sent overseas for proton beam therapy (PBT) treatment. The National Specialised Commissioning Team has established a Proton Therapy Clinical Reference Panel to advise on suitable cancer cases to be treated overseas. As of 31 March 2012, 160 patients had started and/or completed PBT treatment overseas, 107 of which were children. We anticipate up to 400 patients travelling overseas for PBT in 2013-14.
	In April 2012, we confirmed plans to develop a National PBT service capable of treating up to 1,500 patients a year at facilities in Manchester and London. This service is due to start treating patients from the end of 2017.

Contraceptives

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total number and (b) net ingredient cost was of each type of (i) contraceptive and (ii) contraceptive device dispensed in each primary care trust in England in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	A table is provided for each available full calendar year, 2008 through to 2011, giving the number of prescription items dispensed in the community by primary care trust (PCT) and nationally, as classified by the relevant British National Formulary sections. The net ingredient cost of the dispensed prescription items is also provided. Information for previous years is not available at PCT level.

Cosmetic Surgery

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many female genital cosmetic surgical procedures have taken place on the NHS in each of the last five years; and what the age of the patient was in each case.

Simon Burns: A cosmetic surgical procedure will only be carried out by the national health service where clinically indicated. The Health and Social Care Information Centre collect data on all admissions to NHS hospitals in England which are included in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). Unfortunately, the clinical codes available for HES data do not enable us to identify genital cosmetic procedures which are commonly carried out for cosmetic purposes.
	The procedure codes used in these statistics which are relevant here may also be used to describe other conditions such as treatment for a previous third degree tear affecting a current pregnancy or diagnoses such as cancer.

Cosmetic Surgery

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ear pinning operations have taken place on the NHS in each of the last five years; and what the age of the patient was in each case.

Simon Burns: The information requested is available in the following table:
	
		
			 Total courts of all procedures(1) of ear-pinning(2, )by five-year age band for 2006-07 to 2010-11(3) 
			 Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Age group 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Total 3,692 3,581 3,182 2,788 2,426 
			 0 to 4 104 99 87 73 54 
			 5 to 9 1,169 1,133 998 783 695 
			 10 to 14 1,505 1,490 1,280 1,093 1,034 
			 15 to 19 620 609 590 617 492 
			 20 to 24 95 74 75 98 53 
			 25 to 29 45 41 46 40 30 
			 30 to 34 47 38 33 11 15 
			 35 to 39 38 32 20 29 16 
			 40 to 44 28 26 18 16 8 
			 45 to 49 14 15 10 11 11 
			 50 to 54 6 * * * * 
			 55 to 59 — * 6 * * 
			 60 to 64 * * * * * 
			 65 to 69 7 * * * * 
			 70+ 11 12 7 6 7 
			 Unknown — — * * — 
			 (1) Total number of (named) procedures. The total number of (named) procedures recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields, in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) episode. If a procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field during an episode, all instances are counted. (2)OPCS code OPCS code used: D03.3—Pinnaplasty. (3)Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. By convention, figures which could risk identifying single patients (figures of 5 or less) are withheld and have been replaced by an *. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Dental Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have worked for the NHS in each of the last five years; how long the average wait to get an appointment to see a NHS dentist was in each of the last five years; and what the NHS charge bands have been in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: Average dental waiting times are not collected centrally. The number of dentists and NHS charge bands for each of the last five years can be found in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number of dentists with NHS activity within the year ending 31 March, 2006-07 to 2010-11 numbers (headcount) 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 High street dentists(1, 2) 20,160 20,815 21,343 22,003 22,799 
		
	
	
		
			 Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Dental staff in England as at 30 September numbers (headcount) each year 
			  2007 2008 2009 2010(3) 2011(3) 
			 HCHS dentists 3,940 4,221 4,342 4,035 4,030 
			 (1) Dentists are defined as performers with NHS activity recorded by FP17 forms. (2) Data consist of performers in general dental services, personal dental services and trust-led Dental services. (3) The new headcount methodology is not fully comparable with data for years prior to 2010, due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication at: www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/workforce/nhs-staff-numbers Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Dental and Eye Care Team Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census. 
		
	
	
		
			 NHS dental charge bands from 1 April 2007 to 1 April 2012 
			 £ 
			  Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 
			 2007 15.90 43.60 194.00 
			 2008 16.20 44.60 198.00 
			 2009 16.50 45.60 198.00 
			 2010 16.50 45.60 198.00 
			 2011 17.00 47.00 204.00 
			 2012 17.50 48.00 209.00

Dental Services: Injuries

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many iatrogenic injuries have been sustained by patients undergoing dental treatment in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Simon Burns: The Department's current energy suppliers are Corona Energy (gas), EDF (electricity at major sites) and British Gas (electricity at minor sites). The definition of “major site” or “minor site” depends on whether electricity is metered on a half-hourly basis. Most of the Department's sites are classed as “major”.
	In line with Government procurement policy, the Department sources its energy through companies in a framework with the Government Procurement Service. The suppliers changed on 1 April 2012.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The total expenditure in the Department's owned or leased buildings is as follows:
	
		
			 (a) Gas 
			  £ 
			 2002-03 86,367 
		
	
	
		
			 2003-04 78,989 
			 2004-05 115,470 
			 2005-06 157,684 
			 2006-07 145,703 
			 2007-08 105,214 
			 2008-09 140,035 
			 2009-10 151,120 
			 2010-11 117,690 
			 2011-12 139,343 
		
	
	
		
			 (b) Electricity 
			  £ 
			 2002-03 602,320 
			 2003-04 631,337 
			 2004-05 754,096 
			 2005-06 911,063 
			 2006-07 949,735 
			 2007-08 853,476 
			 2008-09 1,424,184 
			 2009-10 1,109,015 
			 2010-11 862,052 
			 2011-12 1,145,671

Ethics and Confidentiality Committee

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which body or bodies will take over from him in approving the recommendations of the Ethics and Confidentiality Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Government have commissioned a review of the current information governance rules and their application, to ensure an appropriate balance between the protection of confidential and identifiable information within our health and care records and the use and sharing of that information to improve the quality and safety of our own care and for the benefit of wider society. Dame Fiona Caldicott is leading this independent review which will report later in the year.
	Future arrangements for the decision-making and advisory functions for approvals for the processing of confidential patient information under the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 are currently being finalised, taking account of the review's emerging findings. These arrangements will need to be further reviewed in due course, in the light of the independent review's final findings.

General Practitioners

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the functions will be of the proposed primary health care clinical commissioning groups.

Simon Burns: The Department has recently published “The Functions of Clinical Commissioning Groups” (June. 2012), which summarises the key statutory duties and powers of clinical commissioning groups, including commissioning responsibilities, general duties and financial and governance functions. A copy has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total number of administrative staff expected to be employed by clinical commissioning groups covering the North East.

Simon Burns: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will have freedom to decide how to use their running costs allowance to secure support to carry out commissioning activities. This includes decisions on the number of administrative staff they employ. They may also buy in support from external organisations, including public, voluntary and private sector bodies. The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has published indicative running cost allowances for proposed CCGs in May 2012. This can be found at:
	www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/2012/05/31/ccg-configs-agreed/

Health Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which public health campaigns his Department has funded in each of the last 10 years; and how much his Department spent on each such campaign.

Anne Milton: The following tables show spend figures for all public health campaigns from 1999-2000 to 2009-10 (we do not yet have complete figures for 2010-11):
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Campaigns 1999-2000(1) 2000-01(1) 2001-02(1) 2002-03(1) 2003-04(1) 
			 5 A Day — — — 0.50 0.48 
			 Alcohol — — — 0.10 0.05 
			 Antibiotics 0.91 — 0.44 0.44 0.42 
			 Blood Donation 0.22 — — — — 
			 Children's Health/Pregnancy — — — — 0.05 
			 Drugs Advertising(2) 0.53 0.50  1.52 1.50 
			 Flu Immunisation — 2.02 1.45 2.00 1.60 
			 Hepatitis C — — — — 0.15 
			 Immunisation — — 0.67 1.00 2.00 
			 Maternal and Infant Nutrition/ Breastfeeding — — — 0.28 0.46 
			 Mind Out/Mental Health — — 0.13 0.16 0.95 
			 Sexual Health Awareness — — 0.30 1.50 1,50 
		
	
	
		
			 Sexwise/Teenage Pregnancy 0.39 — 2.00 1.60 2.00 
			 Smoking—Tobacco Control 6.18 8.97 7.79 7.87 17.34 
			 TB Awareness — — 0.30 0.09 0.01 
			 (1) Figures are net plus agency fees and commissions (rounded to nearest £10,000). Figures exclude VAT and Central Office of Information (COI) fees. (2) Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office. 
		
	
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Campaigns 2004-05(1) 2005-06(1) 2006-07(1) 2007-08(1) 2008-09(2) 2009-10(2) 
			 5 A Day 0.06 0.05 0.05 — — — 
			 Alcohol — — 0.56 0.61 4.77 4.65 
			 Antibiotics — 0.38 — 0.39 1.15 — 
			 Cancer — — — — — — 
			 Child Immunisation — — 1.66 — 0.29 — 
			 Drugs Advertising 0.91 0.18 1.34 0.67 1.45 — 
			 Flu Immunisation 1.45 1.83 1.11 0.98 1.42 0.28 
			 FRANK(3) — — — — — 1.66 
			 Hepatitis C — — 0.52 1.34 1.30 1.39 
			 HPV Vaccination — — — — 2.80 4.07 
			 MMR Uptake Campaign — — — — 0.03 0.53 
			 National Dementia Strategy — — — — — 1.67 
			 Obesity/Change4Life — — — — 7.69 16.16 
			 Pandemic Flu — — — — — 11.24 
			 Respiratory and Hand Hygiene — — — 0.32 1.53 2.63 
			 Sexual Health Awareness 0.28 — 2.88 3.11 2.83 8.16 
			 Stroke Awareness — — — — 4.52 2.45 
			 Tobacco Control 20.05 20.80 13.49 16.17 23.38 24.91 
			 (1) Figures are net plus agency fees and commissions (rounded to nearest £10,000). Figures exclude VAT and Central Office of Information (COI) fees. (2) Provisional figures rounded to nearest £10,000. Figures exclude VAT and COI fees. (3) Department of Health share with Home Office.

Health Services: Armed Forces

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether trauma units in NHS hospitals in England treat armed forces personnel who are injured at work; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Yes, armed forces personnel who are injured at work are treated in national health service hospitals. Secondary care services for serving personnel are commissioned by primary care trusts as part of their arrangements for the general population. The Ministry of Defence also has arrangements to commission and directly fund a number of arrangements for care within the NHS; these include in-patient mental health services and enhanced and accelerated pathways through host Ministry of Defence hospital unit trusts.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women died from a heart attack in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men and women died from a heart attack in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (113874).
	Table 1 as follows shows the number of deaths where acute myocardial infarction was the underlying cause for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East region and the UK between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths from a heart attack among men and women in the UK, the North East region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2006-10(1, 2, 3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 United Kingdom      
			 Males 22,683 21,522 20,270 19,117 18,453 
			 Females 17,698 16,716 15,577 14,246 13,562 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 40,381 38,238 35,847 33,363 32,015 
			       
			 North East region      
			 Males 963 945 883 884 740 
			 Females 760 722 646 599 552 
			 Total 1,723 1,667 1,529 1,483 1,292 
			       
			 South Tyneside local authority      
			 Males 54 38 52 44 31 
			 Females 62 46 43 38 33 
			 Total 116 84 95 82 64 
			       
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency      
			 Males 35 22 24 15 12 
			 Females 20 14 22 16 22 
			 Total 55 36 46 31 34 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year and include non-residents for the UK. All sub-national figures exclude non-residents. (2) Cause of death for heart attack was defined using the International Classifications of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I21-I22. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012.

Hypertension

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recent long-term trends in the number and proportion of people diagnosed with blood pressure-related disorders.

Simon Burns: High blood pressure is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke.
	We know that the number of people with these diseases is predicted to increase because of demographic changes and increases in obesity. The development of a Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy is under way to ensure we have measures in place to continue to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes and deliver the very best care for patients.

Maternity Services

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 70W, on childbirth, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that hospital trusts and specialised commissioners have plans in place to implement the toolkit for high-quality neonatal services and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence quality standard for specialist neonatal care.

Anne Milton: It is for local hospital trusts and specialised commissioners to decide how best to use the guidance in the toolkit for high-quality neonatal services and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence quality standard for specialist neonatal care. The toolkit and quality standard are good practice tools that can assist commissioners and hospital trusts in the delivery of safe, high quality neonatal services that achieve the best outcomes for babies.
	We have made ‘reducing deaths in babies and young children’, including perinatal and infant mortality, areas for improvement in the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2012-13. In future, the Department will hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for its performance against outcomes in the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure the new EU data protection regulation provides greater clarity and proportionality for patient data use in medical research.

Simon Burns: The Ministry of Justice is co-ordinating the Government’s input into the EU data protection regulation and Department of Health officials are actively involved in this work to represent the interests of all parties in the United Kingdom who have a justifiable need to process health data. This includes ensuring that any new directive or regulation provides a clear and workable framework for health research compliance with data protection requirements.
	Data protection law is, however, only one component of the governance framework for health research and the Government have commissioned a review of the current information governance rules and their application. The aim of this review is to ensure that an appropriate balance is struck between the protection of confidential and identifiable information within our health and care records and the use and sharing of that information to improve the quality and safety of our own care and for the benefit of wider society. Dame Fiona Caldicott is leading this independent review which will report later in the year.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the time taken in starting up medical research projects due to the system of regulation and governance for patient data use.

Simon Burns: When a research project requires access to confidential patient information without consent, statutory support is required to protect the discloser of the information from legal liability. This entails a review proportionate to the confidentiality issues highlighted by the particular research application. An application to the current process can take on average 40 days from submission to outcome or no more than 25 days for a more straightforward application. Research projects which already request explicit consent for confidential data to be used, or which can work from anonymised data rather than confidential data, can be commenced more quickly without the need for this further legal cover.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the accessibility of patient data to medical researchers; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: As part of the Government's ‘Strategy for UK Life Sciences’, a new secure data service—the Clinical Practice Research Datalink—was established on 29 March 2012. The Government is investing £60 million over the next four years in this unique service that offers life sciences researchers access to anonymised and linked patient records covering primary, secondary, community and special care.
	On 12 June, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the Earl Howe, met with the Minister for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), to discuss progress in implementing the life sciences strategy.

Midwives

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pre-registration midwifery places were commissioned in each strategic health authority area in England in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Anne Milton: The number of pre-registration midwifery training commissions in each strategic health authority (SHA) in 2011-12 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2011-12 actual midwifery commissions (including 18 month diploma) 
			  Number 
			 NHS North East 89 
			 NHS North West 255 
			 NHS Yorkshire and the Humber 271 
			 NHS East Midlands 169 
			 NHS West Midlands 287 
			 NHS East of England 270 
			 NHS London 573 
			 NHS South East Coast 216 
			 NHS South Central 200 
			 NHS South West 154 
			 England 2,484 
			 Source: Multi-professional education and training monitoring returns. 
		
	
	The actual number of midwifery training commissions for 2012-13 will not be available until May 2013. However, SHAs are planning an increase of 94 (3.8%) midwifery commissions on the previous year, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 2011-12 planned midwifery commissions (including 18 month diploma) 
			  Number 
			 NHS North East 94 
			 NHS North West 253 
			 NHS Yorkshire and the Humber 261 
			 NHS East Midlands 172 
			 NHS West Midlands 294 
			 NHS East of England 274 
			 NHS London 629 
			 NHS South East Coast 238 
			 NHS South Central 209 
			 NHS South West 154 
			 England 2,578 
			 Source: Multi-professional education and training monitoring returns.

MMR Vaccine: Autism

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the court ruling in Italy in the case of Valentino Bocca linking autism and the MMR vaccine, if he will commission new research on the link between autism and the MMR vaccine.

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the recent judgement in Italy in the case of Valentino Bocca relating to MMR inoculations and autism.

Anne Milton: In March a judge presiding over a case in Rimini Italy made a decision to award compensation to the parents of a nine year old boy on the basis that a vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) had caused autism. This decision reflects the opinion of a judge on the specific facts of this single case and should not be seen as a precedent for any other case. The safety of MMR has been endorsed through numerous studies in many countries, and no causal link between MMR vaccine and autism has been established. There are no plans to undertake further research nor to change MMR immunisation policy as a result of this Italian court decision.

NHS: Cost-effectiveness

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total savings to the NHS as a result of efficiency measures in 2012-13.

Simon Burns: As part of the spending review settlement, the Department committed to deliver efficiency savings of up to £20 billion by 2014-15. The national health service has been planning since 2009 its response to the challenge of delivering these significant improvements in efficiency while also improving the quality of services and outcomes for patients.
	In progressing towards this, in addition to efficiency savings of £5.8 billion in 2011-12, NHS organisations are currently planning to deliver further efficiencies of £4.9 billion in 2012-13. Previous to this, the Audit Commission has reported that the NHS made £4.3 billion in productivity gains during 2010-11.

NHS: Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on how much was spent by the NHS on its recent equality, diversity and human rights week.

Paul Burstow: The information requested falls within the responsibility of NHS Employers.

NHS: Pensions

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of (a) total contributions to the NHS pension scheme and (b) payments from the NHS pension scheme expected to be made under (i) current and (ii) new pension arrangements in each of the fiscal years from 2012-13 to 2039-40.

Simon Burns: Contributions made to the NHS Pension Scheme in 2010-11 by employers were £5.553 billion and by employees were £2.578 billion making a total of £8.131 billion.
	Payments from the NHS Pension Scheme under the current arrangements is in the following table. Forecasts are only available until 2017.
	
		
			 March 2012 forecast 
			 £ million 
			  Outturn      Forecasts 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 Pension scheme Expenditure 6,931.3 7,552.7 8,515.5 8,981.5 9,483.4 9,943.2 10,548.8 
			         
			 Pension scheme receipts -8,696.7 -8,533.2 -9,060.5 -9,158.6 -9,217.3 -9,440.6 -9,726.4 
			 Of which:        
			 Employer contributions -5,553.2 -5,492.4 -5,421.9 -5,511.3 -5,561.6 -5,734.0 -5,911.7 
			 Employee contributions -2,578.3 -2,568.4 -3,075.6 -3,126.0 . -3,154.6 -3,252.3 -3,353.2 
			 Other income -565.2 -472.4 -563.0 -521.3 -501.1 -454.3 -461.5 
			 Source: Data published by the Office for Budget Responsibility—March 2012 
		
	
	The table does include the known increase in employee contributions with an increase of £507 million in 2012-13. It does not yet include the changes to the contribution rates for 2013-14 and 2014-15 as these are subject to consultation.
	Payment information on the new pension arrangements in each of the fiscal years from 2012-13 to 2039-40 is unavailable.

NHS: Research

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has considered the merits of bringing NHS research and development approvals within the Health Research Authority; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government asked the Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct an independent review of the regulation and governance of health research in 2010. The Government considered its recommendations and responded by publishing proposals for health care and the life sciences in the Plan for Growth in 2011. These included establishing the new Health Research Authority and introducing, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), both new incentives and tools to improve national health service efficiency in research.
	New NIHR contracts with NHS providers now require information on local initiation and delivery of research, and funding will be affected from 2013. In May 2011, the Government launched the NIHR Research Support Services framework of tools to facilitate consistent local research management and improve performance. This framework is complemented by NIHR's co-ordinated system for gaining NHS permission for research which allows a central review of all issues which only need to be considered once, so individual NHS trusts can focus on considering site-specific issues.
	The Health Research Authority is already working with partners including NIHR to promote consistent and proportionate standards for the system as a whole and to remove duplication. However, individual providers of NHS care are best placed to determine whether and how they can deliver a study, assessing local feasibility and planning so that research is carried out effectively.

NHS: Sexual Offences

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexual assaults on patients by NHS staff have been reported in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: The information is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Nurses: Temporary Employment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have implemented the National Audit Office recommendations to appoint a board member with responsibility for developing and monitoring a trust-wide strategy for use of temporary nursing staff.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not available centrally.

Nurses: Temporary Employment

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each NHS trust spent on temporary nursing staff (a) provided by NHS Professionals and (b) excluding NHS Professionals in each year since 2004-05.

Anne Milton: The data requested are not available in the format requested. The Department does not require trusts to separate spend on temporary nursing staff from total agency spend and NHS Professionals (NHSP) does not provide the data by trust as they are commercially sensitive.
	The following figures show the total revenues relating to nursing bank and agency staff charged to national health service trusts by NHSP:
	
		
			 £000 
			  Nursing: 
			 Invoiced Bank Agency 
			 2011-12 213,459 56,163 
			 2010-11 220,937 52,949 
			 2009-10 238,027 46,784 
			 2008-09 223,239 26,431 
			 2007-08 194,189 10,599 
			 2006-07 184,345 35,259 
			 2005-06 188,597 67,374 
			 2004-05 158,236 57,332 
			 Caveats: 1. Not all agency spend is recorded by NHSP. Some agency staff may be ordered and paid for by ward managers outside of NHSP contracts. 2. NHSP are not able to separately record qualified and unqualified nursing separately, therefore the figures may include both. 3. No directly comparable data for the total spend by the NHS on temporary nursing staff exist.

Nurses: Training

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the attrition rate was for student nurses as a proportion of the starting cohort on each nursing pre-registration (a) degree and (b) diploma course completing in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011.

Anne Milton: Nursing attrition rate calculations are based on the number of starters and leavers in each financial year. A nurse training course is typically three years long, however, it can take five years for a cohort to complete, due to trainees deferring for reasons such as maternity leave. The cohort completing in 2010 started in financial year 2006-07, for which the nursing attrition rates were 13.6% for degree and 28.5% for diploma.
	Attrition figures for cohorts completing in 2011 have not yet been submitted to the Department, but should be available by the end July 2012.

Obesity: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average weight and obesity levels were of a child at (a) birth, (b) five years and (c) 10 years in (i) 1990, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2010.

Anne Milton: Information on children's mean weight is available in the “Health Survey for England—2010 child trend tables”, Table 2. Information is provided for children aged 0-15, for each year from 1995-2010.
	An equivalent table which shows the trend in mean body mass index (BMI) is available in Table 3 of the same child trend tables.
	Information on the percentage of obese children by age group (2-10 years, 11-15 years and 2-15 years, for 1995-2010) is available in Table 4 of the child trend tables.
	The above information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10trends
	Information on the percentage of obese children by age and sex for 2010 is available in Table 11.2 of the “Health Survey for England 2010”, Chapter 11, Children's BMI, Overweight and Obesity. This information is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/hse10report
	Equivalent data are not available for 1990. For 2000 the data has not been published.
	Further information on the prevalence of obesity in children is available through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). Information is available for children in Reception (4-5 years) and year 6 (10-11 years) for 2010-11. Information showing the prevalence of obesity in these two school years in England is available at Table 1 of the “National Child Measurement Programme: England, 2010/11 school year” report. This report is available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/national-child-measurement-programme-england-2010-11-school-year
	NCMP data are only available from 2006-07.
	Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library.

Pain Relief

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS trusts have categorised facet joint injections, caudal epidural injections or acupuncture as low priority treatments; and for what reasons;
	(2)  what information his Department holds on the number of NHS trusts planning to delay pain management treatments including facet joint injections, caudal epidural injections and acupuncture; and whether such treatments have been downgraded as a priority by the NHS.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not available centrally. Commissioners are responsible for using their available resources to secure the best possible care for their populations, taking into account national clinical guidance and standards and local needs and priorities. In future, front line clinicians in clinical commissioning groups will be taking the lead in making these judgments. Where a commissioner has decided, as a matter of general policy, not to provide funding for certain treatments, they should have in place a transparent and fair process for considering requests for exceptional treatment on their merits.

Pain Relief

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of patients (a) in Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and (b) nationally who have recently been removed from waiting lists for pain management treatments; and for what reasons they have been removed.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not available nationally. Decisions on treatments should be made by clinicians based on what is most clinically appropriate for the patient and take the individual patient's needs into account. Local managers need to be able to demonstrate how they have taken account of the best available evidence, patients' health care needs and the views of health care professionals who understand patients’ needs when making decisions.

Physiotherapy

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time to see a physiotherapist is following referral in the NHS in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Hounslow in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to commission services to meet the needs of their communities, including the provision of physiotherapy services. Currently there are no mandated data held centrally regarding physiotherapy waiting times unless part of a consultant-led episode within 18-week pathways.
	The Allied Health Professions (AHP) referral to treatment (RTT) Revised Guide, published in December 2011, sets out a framework of rules for clock starts and clock stops to measure waiting times for patients when accessing NHS AHP services including physiotherapy. This was followed by a letter to the service from the Chief Health Professions Officer on 16 January 2012.
	All AHPs delivering NHS funded care are encouraged to base their local data collections, local flows and reporting of AHP RTT data on the Community Information Data Set structure in anticipation of a national mandate for collection and reporting of data. Work is ongoing to provide the mechanisms for information flows to report AHP RTT centrally.
	The ‘Allied Health Professional Referral to Treatment Revised Guide 2011’ can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_131969.pdf
	and a copy has already been placed in the Library.

Physiotherapy

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists were employed by the NHS in (a) 2008-9, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Information Centre annual workforce census is published in March and reports the numbers of national health service staff employed as at the 30 September the previous year.
	The numbers of physiotherapists employed in September 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 are given in the following table. The number employed in 2012 will be available following publication of the next annual work force census in March 2013.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent (FTE) 
			 2008 17,652 
			 2009 18,460 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 18,610 
			 2011 18,586

Primary Care Trusts: North East

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total cost of the planned redundancies for primary health care trust staff in Northumbria, Tyne and Wear and Durham County on which he is consulting.

Simon Burns: The revised Health and Social Care Bill Impact Assessment (table 4b, page 21) set out a best estimate of system-wide redundancy costs of £810 million over the course of this Parliament. A copy has already been placed in the Library and can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_129916.pdf
	Within this, overall primary care trust (PCT) redundancy costs were estimated at £634 million. We do not hold a breakdown of these redundancy cost estimates at an individual PCT level as it will depend on recruitment decisions of organisations in those areas. The Department is working with both sending and receiving organisations to facilitate the transfer of staff where possible and minimise the level of redundancies and redundancy costs.

Primary Care Trusts: Redundancy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care trust staff in the North East of England covered by his Department's initial redundancy consultation launched in June 2012 he estimates could be re-employed by clinical commissioning groups;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of primary care trust staff who will be made redundant in the north-east of England in 2012-13; and how many such staff he estimates will be subsequently re-employed within the NHS.

Simon Burns: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for conducting their own redundancy consultations, in accordance with employment legislation. The Secretary of State has no direct involvement with these procedures.
	Data on the numbers of PCT staff in the north-east of England who will be made redundant in 2012-13, and those who will be subsequently re-employed within the national health service, are not available. Greater clarity on the numbers of staff affected by change will gradually become available, but the full position will not be known until after 31 December 2012.

Primary Care Trusts: Redundancy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has gathered from electronic staff records on the number of primary care trust staff in the North East (a) made redundant in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13 and (b) subsequently re-employed in the NHS.

Simon Burns: 373 staff employed by primary care trusts (PCTs) in the North East were made redundant in 2010-11, as recorded on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).
	61 staff employed by PCTs in the North East were made redundant between April 2011 and December 2011, as recorded on the ESR. Figures for quarter four 2011-12 will be published on 24 July 2012 by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care.
	Information on the number of PCT staff in the North East who were made redundant and subsequently re-employed by national health service organisations can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Primary Care Trusts: Redundancy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish figures relating to the total cost of exit packages for primary care trust (PCT) staff in 2011-12; if he will ensure that such figures show the cost for each PCT on the same basis as that published by his Department for 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the likely costs by PCTs in 2012-13.

Simon Burns: Data on 2011-12 primary care trust (PCT) exit packages will be available later in the summer, once the Department's Annual Report and Accounts are audited and laid before Parliament.
	The information will be published on a national aggregate level in the Annual Report and Accounts in the same format as previous years. The consolidated account does not present figures on an individual PCT basis. However if this information is requested once the accounts have been published, the Department will be able to provide it.
	We hold statutory accounting information for previous years only. As such we are unable to provide any information relating to estimated figures on the cost of exit packages in PCTs for 2012-13.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of any increase in the level of requests for medical evidence in support of appeal cases to the First-tier Tribunal Social Security and Child Support on the workload of (a) general practitioners, (b) consultants and (c) nurses in the NHS.

Simon Burns: No assessment has been made of the impact of providing such information. However, we are not aware that the workload involved in providing these services is an issue.
	If a patient were to seek medical evidence to support an appeal to the First-tier Tribunal, this would be private work i.e. outside of the requirements of the contracting arrangements for the provision of NHS primary medical services by general practitioners (GPs).
	Similarly, there is no provision to require consultants or nurses in the NHS to provide such a service. As such, it is for individual practitioners to decide whether to provide such a service to their patients.
	The Social Security and Child Support Tribunal may request further evidence, when it deems it appropriate, from the health care professional that it considers will be able to provide the appropriate evidence. This may be the appellant's GP or consultant or another health care professional. Where this is the case, a fee may be payable for the provision of such information.

Social Services

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department expects to publish its White Paper on social care.

Paul Burstow: We expect to publish a White Paper and progress report shortly.

Social Services: Older People

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 84W, on social services, whether his Department has considered the findings of the Care of Elderly People UK Market Survey 2011-12 by Laing and Buisson in developing its proposals for market oversight of adult residential care.

Paul Burstow: Yes. The Department is considering a range of evidence in developing its policy on oversight of the social care market, including the ‘Care of Elderly People UK Market Survey 2011-12’. In developing this policy, we also met with key stakeholders. The forthcoming White Paper on care and support will set out next steps regarding this work.
	The ‘Care of Elderly People UK Market Survey 2011-12’ provides pertinent information regarding providers with a market share in local residential care markets of more than 25%.

Thalidomide

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are in each constituent part of the UK whose health has been affected by thalidomide.

Paul Burstow: We understand that the Thalidomide Trust supports 435 people in the United Kingdom whose health has been affected by Thalidomide. This breaks down per country, as follows:
	
		
			 UK beneficiaries by country 
			 Country Number 
			 England 327 
			 Northern Ireland 18 
			 Scotland 59 
			 Wales 31

Thalidomide

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve health and social care provision for thalidomide survivors.

Paul Burstow: The Government are committed to improving outcomes for disabled people and supporting them to live independent lives. This principle of improving outcomes and giving people more choice and control and purchasing power over the services they receive underpins all our health, social care and welfare reforms.
	In December 2009, the previous Government made a £20 million grant to the Thalidomide Trust for a three-year pilot scheme in England, running from April 2010 until March 2013, to explore how the health needs of Thalidomide survivors can best be met in the longer term. Departmental officials have discussed the evaluation of the first year of the pilot with members of the Thalidomide Trust and the National Advisory Council and are awaiting the evaluation of the second year.

CABINET OFFICE

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met Abid Hussain;
	(2)  whether Abid Hussain has attended any meetings at the Cabinet Office since May 2010; and when each such meeting took place.

Francis Maude: Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are available in the Library of the House.

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether Abid Hussain was subject to any form of security vetting before accompanying the Minister without Portfolio on official overseas visits;
	(2)  whether his Department cleared Abid Hussain to accompany the Minister without Portfolio on any official overseas trips since May 2010; and for which such trips.

Francis Maude: Mr Abid Hussain has not been part of any official delegation for any of the Minister without Portfolio’s overseas visits.

Advisory Services: Finance

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many advice agencies have received funding from the £107 million Big Society Transition Fund announced in the spending review October 2010;
	(2)  how much and what proportion of the £107 million Big Society Transition Fund announced in the October 2010 spending review was received by advice agencies.

Nick Hurd: Of the 1,010 organisations that were awarded Transition Fund grants, at least 52 are advice agencies. The grants to advice agencies total at least £17.5 million (16.4%) of the £107 million fund.
	In addition, the Government have already made £16.8 million available to the not-for-profit advice sector in England through the Advice Service Fund, with a further £40 million announced in the recent Budget for advice services across the UK.

Average Earnings

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average earnings were of (a) full-time male, (b) part-time male, (c) full-time female and (d) part-time female workers in (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average earnings were of (a) full-time male, (b) part-time male, (c) full-time female and (d) part-time female workers in (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) England in each of the last five years. (113430)
	Average levels of earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for all employees on adult rates of pay whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom.
	Following tables show the median gross weekly earnings for full-time male, full-time female, part-time male and part-time female employee jobs in St Helens South and Whiston constituency from 2009 to 2011, Merseyside and England from 2007 to 2011. 2011 is the latest date for which figures are available.
	
		
			 Median Gross Weekly Earnings (£)—for full-time male, full-time female, part-time male and part-time female employee jobs(1): (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency 2009 to 2011, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) England 2007 to 2011 
			 St Helens South and Whiston constituency 
			  Male Female 
			  Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 
			 2009 *461.1 x **416.1 **149.7 
			 2010 *473.1 x **418.3 **159.8 
			 2011(2) *463.1 x **425.6 **165.4 
			 2011(3) *463.0 x **423.0 **163.9 
		
	
	
		
			 Merseyside 
			  Male Female 
			  Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 
			 2007 473.2 **121.9 383.3 139.8 
			 2008 481.7 **124.4 397.5 143.0 
			 2009 494.9 *143.5 414.7 150.0 
			 2010 497.0 *145.0 425.0 154.7 
			 2011(2) 497.8 *147.6 429.8 158.6 
			 2011(3) 499.2 *147.5 424.3 156.5 
		
	
	
		
			 England 
			  Male Female 
			  Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time 
			 2007 505.5 136.5 400.0 145.5 
			 2008 528.8 136.1 417.3 149.0 
			 2009 538.2 143.2 430.8 154.6 
			 2010 545.8 142.4 442.5 156.8 
		
	
	
		
			 2011(2) 547.8 142.5 448.5 157.5 
			 2011(3) 547.4 142.7 442.2 156.1 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (2) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (3) 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV<=5% * CV>5% and <=10% ** CV>10% and <=20% x Unreliable Note: St Helens South and Whiston constituency replaced the St Helens South constituency in 2009. It covers the south of the Metropolitan borough of St Helens and also includes three wards from the Knowsley borough. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Conservative Friends of Pakistan

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have held meetings at the Cabinet Office with representatives of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan since May 2010.

Francis Maude: No Cabinet Office Ministers have held meetings at the Cabinet Office with representatives of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan.
	Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are available in the Library of the House.

Data Visualisation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage the use of new techniques in data visualisation in his Department.

Francis Maude: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The Government have been publishing unprecedented amounts of data through data.gov.uk in formats that facilitate the creation of data visualisations and have been working with developers and data users to understand more about what they want. Currently, the public have access to over 45,000 Government data files through data.gov.uk and we are working to identify more.

Employment: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the total number of (a) private, (b) public and (c) third sector jobs in (i) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (ii) Teesside and (iii) the North East of England in each year since 2003.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the.UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate he has made of the total number of (a) private, (b) public and (c) third sector jobs in (i) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (ii) Teesside and (iii) the North East of England in each year since 2003. (113790)
	Public and private sector employment statistics for local areas can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey.
	Estimates on people employed in the third sector are currently not available from APS. Individuals employed in voluntary organisations, charities and trusts are generally included in private sector estimates.
	Table 1 shows the number of persons resident in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency, Teesside and North East employed in public and private sector from APS for the period April 2011 to March 2012, which is the most recent data available and January to December for the previous eight years.
	Teesside has been formed by combining Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Authorities.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in Table 1.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: Number(1) of persons in employment in the public and private sectors, resident in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland parliamentary constituency, Teesside and North East 
			 Thousand 
			  Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Teesside North East 
			  Public Private Public Private Public Private 
			 12 months ending       
			 December 2004 13 32 53 147 316 794 
			 December 2005 12 31 52 151 319 808 
			 December 2006 13 34 55 149 319 816 
			 December 2007 15 33 58 147 330 824 
			 December 2008 15 29 55 141 321 826 
			 December 2009 12 28 58 139 334 782 
			 December 2010 11 27 55 140 331 789 
		
	
	
		
			 December 2011 10 30 54 139 319 794 
			 March 2012 ***10 **29 **53 *137 *309 *796 
			 (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key:* 0 ≤ CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes. Source: Annual Population Survey

Government Departments: Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 26 April 2012, Official Report, column 1057W, on Government Departments: pay, how many officials paid off-payroll he estimates were not included in the list of high earners published on www.data.gov.uk in 2011.

Francis Maude: Further to the answer I gave to the hon. Member on 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 1073W, the review published by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander) included information on numbers and costs of off-payroll engagements.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men aged between 35 and 64 years in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have died from heart disease in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men aged between 35 and 64 years died from heart disease in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (113682).
	Table 1 as follows shows the number of deaths where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East region and the UK between 2G06 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths from heart disease among men aged between 35 and 64 years in the UK, the North East region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2006-10(1, 2, 3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 United Kingdom 10,549 10,238 9,836 9,289 9,120 
			 North East region 504 527 483 480 474 
			 South Tyneside local authority 29 35 26 35 19 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 16 29 8 21 8 
			 (1 )Figures arc for deaths registered in each calendar year and include non-residents for the UK. All sub-national figures exclude non-residents. (2) Cause of death for heart disease was defined using the International Classifications of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I20-I25. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men aged under 75 years in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have died from heart disease in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men aged under 75 years died from heart disease in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (113683).
	Table 1 following shows the number of deaths where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East region and the UK between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths from heart disease among men aged under 75 years in the UK, the North East Region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2006-10(1,2,3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 United Kingdom 22,613 21,763 20,842 19,617 19,172 
			 North East region 1,135 1,093 1,037 949 916 
		
	
	
		
			 South Tyneside local authority 72 65 52 70 46 
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency 42 42- 22 35 23 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year and include non-residents for the UK. All sub-national figures exclude non-residents: (2) Cause of death for heart disease was defined using the International Classifications of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes 120-125. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the north-east and (iv) the UK have died from coronary heart disease in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men and women died from coronary heart disease in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (113684).
	Table 1 shows the number of deaths where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East region and the UK between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths from coronary heart disease among men and women in the UK, the North East Region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2006-2010(1,2,3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 United Kingdom      
			 Males 52,804 51,568 49,652 47,306 46,591 
			 Females 41,872 40,163 38,575 35,425 33,976 
			 Total 94,676 91,731 88,227 82,731 80,567 
			       
			 North East region      
			 Males 2,455 2,435 2,300 2,197 2,114 
			 Females 1,973 1,858 1,723 1,571 1,449 
			 Total 4,428 4,293 4,023 3,768 3,563 
			       
			 South Tyneside local authority      
			 Males 164 163 144 146 138 
			 Females 147 139 125 107 97 
			 Total 311 302 269 253 235 
			       
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency      
			 Males 97 92 72 71 67 
			 Females 64 56 54 60 56 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 161 148 126 131 123 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year and include non-residents for the UK. All sub-national figures exclude non-residents. (2) Cause of death for heart disease was defined using the International Classifications of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes 120-125. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012.

Heart Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) men and (b) women aged between 35 and 64 in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK died from heart disease in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many men and women aged between 35 and 64 died from heart disease in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years (113873).
	Table 1 below shows the number of deaths where ischaemic heart disease was the underlying cause for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority, (c) the North East region and the UK between 2006 and 2010 (the latest year available).
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths from heart disease among men and women aged between 35 and 64 in the UK, the north-east region, South Tyneside local authority and Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2006-10(1, 2, 3) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 United Kingdom      
			 Males 10,549 10,238 9,836 9,289 9,120 
			 Females 2,670 2,556 2,527 2,302 2,245 
			 Total 13,219 12,794 12,363 11,591 11,365 
			       
			 North-east region      
			 Males 504 527 483 480 474 
			 Females 155 137 137 132 96 
			 Total 659 664 620 612 570 
			       
			 South Tyneside local authority      
			 Males 29 35 26 35 19 
			 Females 15 10 7 6 3 
			 Total 44 45 33 41 22 
			       
			 Jarrow parliamentary constituency      
			 Males 16 29 8 21 8 
			 Females 4 4 4 5 3 
			 Total 20 33 12 26 11 
			 (1) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year and include non-residents for the UK. All sub-national figures exclude non-residents. (2) Cause of death for heart disease was defined using the International Classifications of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes I20-I25. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the oral answer of 13 June 2012, Official Report, column 314, on quangos, on what numerical evidence his answer was based.

Francis Maude: The 2010 Public Bodies Review covered 904 public bodies, of which 500 are proposed for reform with a reduction of more than 250 bodies by the end of 2014-15. Overall, the programme has so far abolished 92 bodies and merged 103 into 50.
	Since our public bodies reform will abolish over 250 bodies, the hon. Member's assessment in the Official Report, column 314, was entirely wrong.

Older People: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people (a) of pensionable age and (b) over 80 there are in Warrington North constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people (a) of pensionable age and (b) over 80 there are in Warrington North constituency (113666).
	There were an estimated 18,005 people of pensionable age and 3,741 people aged 80 and over resident in Warrington North constituency at mid-2010. This is the latest year for which population estimates are available.
	The estimate of pensionable age gives the number of women aged 60 and over, and men aged 65 and over, which is the closest available approximation to state pension age at mid-2010 that can be obtained for population estimates by parliamentary constituency.

Population

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the population was of each of the constituent parts of the UK on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2012
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the population was of each of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom on the most recent date for which figures are available (113438).
	Table 1 shows the usually resident population of each UK constituent country in mid-2010. These are the latest available population estimates.
	
		
			 Table 1: Population of the UK by constituent country, mid-2010 
			 Thousands 
			 Country Total persons 
			 England 52,234.0 
			 Wales 3,006.4 
			 Scotland 5,222.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Northern Ireland 1,799.4 
			 Source: Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times the Minister without Portfolio's special adviser has accompanied her on official visits overseas since May 2010; and for which trips.

Francis Maude: Details of Ministers' overseas trips are available in the Library of the House. As has long been the case it is standard practice that a Minister can be accompanied by a special adviser on official trips.

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any official overseas trips by Cabinet Office Ministers have been paid for by foreign governments since May 2010.

Francis Maude: No official overseas trips by Cabinet Office Ministers have been paid for by foreign governments since May 2010. It is a matter of public record that in November 2010 Baroness Warsi performed the Hajj as the guest of the Government of Saudi Arabia. This was a personal visit and was declared in the Register of Lords interests.

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the objectives were of each of the Minister without Portfolio's official overseas visits to Pakistan.

Francis Maude: Details of Ministers' overseas visits are available in the Library of the House.

EDUCATION

Academies: Oxfordshire

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  which schools in Oxfordshire are required to explore academy status;
	(2)  with which schools in Oxfordshire officials in his Department are in discussions about the possibility of converting to academy status.

Nick Gibb: The Department discusses the possibility of conversion to academy status with any school that approaches the Department. If a school applies to convert, the Department will allocate an official who will support that school through the conversion process. A list of schools that have applied to convert to academy status is available on the Department’s website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b00208569/open-academies
	We are also in discussion with a range of schools nationally where we believe sponsored academy status would bring about the transformational change required. It is not our policy publicly to name schools where we would like to explore academy options. We believe this has the potential to disrupt the process of school improvement at the schools concerned, and may cause negative publicity that will distress parents, staff and pupils.

Children: Day Care

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of children aged (a) three and (b) four years received nursery education in (i) York and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in (A) 1992 and (B) each year since 1992.

Sarah Teather: The Department collects information on children receiving free early education as opposed to just numbers receiving nursery education. The number and percentage of children aged three and four benefiting from some free early education in York and Yorkshire and the Humber between 2008 and 2011 are shown in the table. Comparable figures for earlier years cannot be provided due to disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Number(1) and percentage of three and four year old children benefiting from some early education(2,3) in York and Yorkshire and the Humber 2008 to 2011. Position in January 
			    2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 York 3 year olds Number 2,100 1,900 2,000 2,100 
			   Percentage 113 100 104 104 
			  4 year olds Number 1,900 2,000 2,000 2,000 
			   Percentage 105 107 102 104 
			        
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3 year olds Number 56,800 57,800 59,900 61,200 
			   Percentage 94 95 96 96 
			  4 year olds Number 58,200 60,400 60,800 62,400 
			   Percentage 100 100 100 100 
			 (1) Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. (3) Numbers of three and four-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC), and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC). 
		
	
	The percentage of children receiving free early education can exceed 100%. This is due to using different sources for the population to compare to the number of children benefiting from free early education. These different sources of data are not on a directly comparable basis and so can result in valid take-up rates of over 100%.
	Data for 2012 will be available from 28 June following the publication of the ‘Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in England’ Statistical First Release at the following link: http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001074/index.shtml

Children: Day Care

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what costs are incurred in undertaking an inspection visit of a child minder.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 19 June 2012
	This information is held by Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 15 June 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	The average cost of an inspection visit of a childminder is £731. By ‘inspection visit’ we mean a programmed inspection, post registration inspection and re-inspection of either a sole childminder or childminder with assistants.
	All costs relate to the most recent full year, 2011-12, and include direct and indirect costs plus overheads. It should be noted that overall costs in Ofsted have reduced since 2010-11 and are planned to reduce in total by 30% by 2014-15 (the end of the current Comprehensive Spending Review period).
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Nick Gibb MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Children: Disability

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to improve the identification of deaf-blind and multi-sensory-impaired children in schools;
	(2)  what his policy is on the education of deaf-blind and multi-sensory-impaired children.

Sarah Teather: The Government's reforms to special educational needs and disability policy are set out in Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability—Progress and next steps
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/send/a0075339/sengreenpaper
	These include the development of a single assessment process and a comprehensive Education, Health and Care Plan to replace the current statement system. The reforms are intended to ensure that children's needs are identified much earlier—including through early health screening and in early years provision—and that parents are given far greater control over the support that they receive.
	The Department for Education has provided funding for some 9,000 special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCOs) to obtain the mandatory higher-level SENCO qualification. SENCOs play a vital role within schools, including supporting other teaching staff to identify where a pupil may have special educational needs. In addition, there is a mandatory qualification for teachers of deaf-blind children, with teachers able to apply for funding through the national teaching scholarship scheme.
	The Department also provides funding to the National Sensory Impairment Partnership
	www.natsip.org.uk
	to help local authorities come together to benchmark their services, develop quality standards and learn from each other.

Children: Disability

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking with local authorities to ensure that disabled children are able to access child care;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled children aged two years are able to access appropriate child care.

Sarah Teather: In “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability—progress and next steps”, published in May 2012, the Government confirmed plans to require local authorities to publish a local offer setting out the support available to disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs and their families. The Government will set out the national framework for the local offer in law, including information on the early education that is available to children with disabilities.
	Local authorities have a duty to secure sufficient child care locally to meet the needs of working parents. The Government are strengthening the statutory guidance underpinning this duty so that, from September 2012, local authorities will prepare an annual report for parents and councillors on how they are meeting the duty. This will include how they are ensuring that there is sufficient child care available to meet the needs of disabled children.
	All three- and four-year-olds, including children with disabilities, are entitled to 15 hours a week of free early education. This entitlement will be extended to around 40% of two-year-olds from September 2014. The Government will consult shortly on which two-year-olds should be eligible for the entitlement.

Children: Disability

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how his Department is monitoring local authority delivery of services under the Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2010.

Sarah Teather: The Department does not directly monitor local authority delivery of services under draft legislation in The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2010, nor under the UK statutory instrument, The Breaks for Carers of Disabled Children Regulations 2011 Number 707, which came into effect in April 2011.
	The Department has contracted with a consortium known as Impact to provide tailored support to all 152 local authorities in England to help them ensure that they meet their legal obligations under the Short Breaks Duty. Impact is contracted to identify and promote good practice through case studies and research and to support local authorities in developing the capacity and sustainability of short breaks providers.
	As part of its work for the Department, Impact is collecting information about the number of Short Break Duty Statements that have been published, the quality of those statements, and the extent to which they have been developed in collaboration with local parents and carers. Impact has also developed self-evaluation tools to help local authorities to monitor and improve their own performance in relation to short breaks services.

Education: Standards

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce inequalities in educational attainment.

Sarah Teather: The Government are committed to creating a highly-educated society in which opportunity is more equal for children and young people no matter what their background or family circumstances. Our reforms include an emphasis on early intervention, additional funding to support the education of disadvantaged pupils, improving teacher quality, introducing challenging floor standards for secondary schools, allowing more schools to benefit from academy status and transparency measures to ensure schools support all pupils to progress. The Department for Education has published fairness objectives which include commitments to tackle inequalities in educational attainment which can be found on the web page at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/policiesandprocedures/equalityanddiversity/b00202789/equality-commitments/equality-objectives-2012

First Aid: Curriculum

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that emergency life support skills are taught in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The current non-statutory framework for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education includes teaching young people at primary school level about basic emergency procedures and where to get help. At secondary school level, it includes teaching young people to develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic first aid procedures, including, at key stage 4 (ages 15-16), resuscitation techniques.
	We are reviewing PSHE education to improve the quality of teaching; the core outcomes which we expect PSHE to achieve and the core of knowledge and awareness that the Government should expect pupils to acquire at school. We will publish the outcome of the review later this year.

Free Schools

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people (a) of each ethnicity, (b) of each gender and (c) in each age group were lead applicants for application to free schools since May 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 21 June 2012
	We do not collect ethnicity, gender or age data from free school applicants.

History: Curriculum

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the National Curriculum Review of history; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects to complete the process of reviewing the submissions to the National Curriculum Review of history;
	(3)  what timetable he has set for the National Curriculum Review for foundation subjects for secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: We are, in our review of the National Curriculum in England, taking careful account of all of the submissions received. We have recently confirmed that history is to continue as a compulsory subject at key stages 1 and 2. We will consult fully on draft programmes of study for primary history before they are finalised.
	We will also make a separate announcement in due course about plans for the secondary curriculum, including the place of history. Our intention is that the new programmes of study for all National Curriculum subjects will be introduced from September 2014.

Industry: Schools

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures he has put in place to promote industry engagement with schools; and whether he has given consideration to establishing a clearing house role to help large companies engage with schools on a national basis.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The core principle of our schools reform programme is to give greater freedoms to schools. This is because more autonomous schools are more likely to raise standards, ensuring that their curriculum meets the needs of their pupils, rather than covering in their curricula what successive Governments consider to be important.
	We have no plans to establish a clearing house to help large companies engage with schools on a national basis, although there are many organisations to which schools might look to fulfil this role where they want additional support in accessing industry, such as the Education and Employers' Taskforce.
	Schools provide enterprise and business education for young people to ensure that they are well equipped in facing the challenges of the world of work, employability and entrepreneurship, resulting in a positive outcome for both pupils and employers.
	We are investing £4.5 million over two years (2011-12 and 2012-13) for 25 further education colleges to trial innovative models for delivering work experience for 16 to 19-year-olds; and we will ensure that work experience is fully integrated in the 16 to 19 study programmes from September 2013.
	In addition, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is developing online resources for teachers that will enable them to set up school businesses and access support from local enterprise champions.

Pupils: Yorkshire and Humberside

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding was provided per pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) York and (B) Yorkshire and the Humber in (1) 1992 and (2) each year since 1992 (x) in cash terms and (y) at 2012 prices.

Nick Gibb: As York only became a local authority in 1996-97 as a result of local government reorganisation, comparable funding data are available only from this date.
	Average per pupil revenue funding figures, from the Department to local authorities, for pupils aged three to 10 (primary) and 11 to 15 (secondary) for York LA specifically, and the Yorkshire and Humber region on average, for years 1997-98 to 2005-06 are as follows.
	These figures are in cash terms:
	
		
			 Average per pupil revenue funding (cash) 
			  1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 York LA (primary) 1,866 2,002 2,184 2,397 2,574 2,702 2,893 3,064 3,337 
			 York LA (secondary) 2,608 2,751 2,909 3,242 3,423 3,575 3,699 3,970 4,227 
			 Yorkshire and Humber average (primary) 1,943 2,086 2,288 2,539 2,766 2,931 3,220 3,400 3,689 
			 Yorkshire and Humber average (secondary) 2,724 2,859 3,047 3,376 3,629 3,806 4,004 4,280 4,563 
			 Notes: 1. Price Base: Cash. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series. 5. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 6. Rounding: Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £1. 
		
	
	These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			 Average per pupil revenue funding (real) 
			  1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 
			 York LA (primary) 2,471 2,615 2,795 3,055 3,221 3,295 3,456 3,558 3,798 
			 York LA (secondary) 3,454 3,592 3,722 4,132 4,284 4,360 4,419 4,610 4,811 
			 Yorkshire and Humber average (primary) 2,573 2,724 2,928 3,236 3,462 3,574 3,846 3,948 4,198 
			 Yorkshire and Humber average (secondary)' 3,607 3,733 3,899 4,302 4,542 4,641 4,783 4,970 5,193 
			 Notes: 1. Price Base: Real terms at 2010-11 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 28 March 2012. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series. 5. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 6. Rounding: Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £1. 
		
	
	The total revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on education formula spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. An alternative time series is currently under development.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department has isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of ‘education' funding in that year.
	The total and per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 to 2010-11 for York are provided in the following table. The figures in the table are for all funded pupils aged three to 19 and are in cash terms:
	
		
			 Average revenue per pupil funding (DSG + grants cash) 
			  2005-06 baseline 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 York LA 3,730 3,900 4,160 4,380 4,580 4,790 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (average) 3,920 4,160 4,440 4,640 4,820 5,040 
			 Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price Base: Cash. 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10. 
		
	
	These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			 Average per pupil revenue funding (DSG + grants real) 
			  2005-06 baseline 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 York LA 4,240 4,300 4,480 4,570 4,700 4,790 
			 Yorkshire and Humber (average) 4,460 4,580 4,780 4,850 4,950 5,040 
			 Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price Base: Real terms at 2010-11 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 28 March 2012. 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10 
		
	
	Capital funding
	The following table shows capital funding for the financial years that are available. The data are in cash terms as allocations are phased across more than one year making real terms calculations meaningless. Complete information on the split of capital between phases of education is not held centrally.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Capital allocations* PFI credits** 
			  York Yorkshire and the Humber York Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 1996-97 0.8 57.5 — — 
			 1997-98 1.3 52.1 — — 
			 1998-99 1.8 90.7 — 2.0 
			 1999-2000 4.5 151.3 — 62.8 
			 2000-01 7.4 243.3 — 86.0 
			 2001-02 4.8 245.2 — 45.2 
			 2002-03 9.2 310.5 — 1.1 
			 2003-04 11.1 305.4 — 188.9 
			 2004-05 11.4 326.6. 15.4 273.2 
			 2005-06 10.7 386.3 — — 
			 2006-07 23.0 281.9 — 255.4 
			 2007-08 19.3 380.3 — 179.2 
			 2008-09 26.7 371.5 — 4.5 
			 2009-10 23.1 510.5 — 423.8 
			 2010-11 18.4 701.4 — 348.7 
			 2011-12 8.0 437.6 — — 
			 2012-13 (provisional) 8.6 289.7 — — 
			 Notes: 1. Capital allocations includes capital grant and supported borrowing allocations. 2. PFI credit allocations are counted at financial close. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000. 4. — indicates that no funding was given in that year.

Schools: Discipline

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to increase discipline in classrooms and control by teachers.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 June 2012
	Improving behaviour in our schools is a key priority for this Government. We have taken the steps outlined in the 2010 Schools White Paper to ensure teachers have the powers they need to maintain discipline in the classroom.
	These include: removing the requirement to give parents 24 hours' written notice of detentions outside school hours; strengthening teachers' powers to search pupils for items which disrupt teaching; and clarifying teachers’ powers to use reasonable force. We have also issued updated advice and guidance to schools on promoting good behaviour and maintaining discipline.
	Further reforms will take effect in the autumn. Teachers will be entitled to anonymity when accused by pupils until they are charged with an offence and a new system of independent review panels which will ensure that a school's decision to exclude is not undermined by an appeal process that can force the reinstatement of a permanently excluded pupil.

Schools: Hygiene

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the new School Premises Regulations will define what constitutes a suitable standard for toilets and washing facilities in schools.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The new School Premises Regulations will require that toilet and washing facilities are provided for the sole use of pupils and that they are suitable, having regard to pupils' ages, number, sex and any special requirements they may have. They will also require that separate toilet facilities are provided for boys and girls aged eight years or over, except where the facility is provided in a room that is intended for use by one pupil at a time and that can be secured from the inside.

Schools: Hygiene

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of provision of soap and hand drying facilities in schools; and whether the new School Premises Regulations will require washing facilities to provide soap and hand drying facilities to qualify as suitable.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The Department has not made such an assessment, but is aware of several studies carried out that noted where soap and towels were absent in school washing facilities. These were referred to in a response to the recent consultation on the proposed new School Premises Regulations.
	The new regulations will not include specific requirements for soap and drying facilities, but they will require that the washing facilities provided by schools are suitable for pupils to use. They will also contain a regulation covering the general health, safety and welfare of pupils. It is difficult to see how any school could meet these standards without providing adequate means for pupils to wash and dry their hands.

Schools: Hygiene

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the new school premises regulations will define what constitutes a suitable number of toilets and washbasins for a given number of pupils by means of a ratio.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 June 2012
	The new School Premises Regulations will not set out a specific ratio of toilets and washbasins to numbers of pupils, but will be supported by supplementary guidance which will provide a steer on the provision of such facilities.

Schools: Inspections

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools failed their Ofsted inspection (a) nationally and (b) in North Swindon constituency in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 15 June 2012
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Since 2005, maintained school inspections have been carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 and, more recently, the Education Act 2011. Ofsted records all judgements made by inspectors in section 5 inspections, including the judgement for the overall effectiveness of the school.
	Under section 5, Ofsted inspects maintained schools (nursery, primary, secondary and special schools and pupil referral units), state-funded independent schools such as academies and certain non-maintained special schools in England. All of these types of schools have been included in this response. On 1 January 2012 Ofsted implemented a hew school inspection framework for section 5 inspections. This includes a sharper focus on the judgements that matter most and a continued drive to raise standards—particularly in literacy.
	Schools receive an overall effectiveness judgement on inspection. They are graded on a four point scale to be outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Schools which receive an inadequate overall effectiveness judgement require significant improvement or are placed into special measures.
	Table A below shows the number of maintained schools judged inadequate for overall effectiveness at their section 5 inspection during the academic year 2010/11 and the academic year 2011/12 up to 31 March 2012 in the North Swindon constituency and England.
	In September 2009, Ofsted implemented a policy of more proportionate inspection using risk assessment as an aid to scheduling the inspection of good and outstanding schools. We deliberately set out to inspect a greater proportion of previously satisfactory or inadequate schools each year and a smaller proportion of previously good or outstanding schools.
	In September 2010, Ofsted deferred the inspections of previously outstanding schools and, as signalled in the Education Act 2011, is no longer routinely inspecting previously outstanding schools. These schools will not be inspected unless a complaint has been raised or the risk assessment process identifies that these schools would benefit from an inspection.
	Accordingly, the sample of schools inspected during any given period is unlikely to be representative of the nation as a whole.
	Statistics covering the outcomes of all inspections carried out in each academic year can be found at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/advanced-resources-search/results/Maintained%20schools/2/all/any/200/any
	The most recent official statistics release covering the outcomes of maintained school Inspections carried out between 1 January 2012 and 31 March 2012 was released on 12 June 2012 and can be accessed at the same link.
	
		
			 Table A: Schools in England and North Swindon constituency judged inadequate for their overall effectiveness in each academic year 2010/11 and 2011/12 (year to date) 
			   2010/11 2011/12(1) 
			 Region Phase Number inspected Number inadequate % inadequate. Number inspected Number inadequate % inadequate 
			 England Nursery 126 0 0 103 1 1 
			  Primary 4,249 230 5 3,146 236 8 
			  Secondary 894 70 8 632 69 11 
			  Special 328 14 4 199 7 4 
			  PRU 129 7 5 117 6 5 
			  All schools 5,726 321 6 4,197 319 8 
			         
			 North Swindon Nursery 0 — — 0 — — 
			  Primary 13 0 0 5 0 0 
			  Secondary 0 — — 1 0 0 
			  Special 4 0 0 0 — — 
			  PRU 1 0 0 0 — — 
			  All schools 18 0 0 6 0 0 
			 (1) Year to date.

Sixth-form Education

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment he has made of any funding disparities between sixth form colleges and school sixth forms.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 June 2012
	Historically there has been a funding disparity between schools and sixth form college and other further education establishments, with schools having been funded on a higher basic funding rate. We committed in the White Paper, ‘The Importance of Teaching’, published in November 2010, to end the disparity in post-16 funding so that, by 2015, schools and colleges will be funded at the same level as one another. In 2011/12 schools were moved onto the same base rate of funding as colleges. We introduced transitional protection for four years to give institutions sufficient time to adjust to the new base rate of funding and to the other funding changes announced in the December 2010 16-18 ‘Funding Statement’. Transitional protection will be removed completely in 2015/16.

Sixth-form Education

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of school sixth forms and sixth-form colleges.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 19 June 2012
	The GCE/Applied GCE A/AS and equivalent examination results in England, 2010/11 (revised) Statistical First Release, published in January shows the following comparative information for 16 to 18-year-old students entered for level 3 examinations.
	
		
			 Institution type Average point score per entry for all level 3 qualifications(1) Average point score per student for all three qualifications Percentage achieving two or more A-levels (or equivalent)(2) Percentage achieving three or more A* or A grades at A-level including double awards(2) 
			 Sixth-form colleges 211.5 809.7 98.1 10.2 
			 All maintained schools(3) 213.0 779.9 97.2 11.0 
			 (1) This includes students entered for a GCE or Applied GCE A-level or other level 3 qualification equivalent in size to an A-level. (2) This includes students entered for GCE/Applied GCE A-levels and Double Awards. (3) This includes city technology colleges and academies.

Sixth-form Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ask Ofsted to publish a separate grade for school sixth forms as part of school inspections; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: There are no plans to ask Ofsted to publish a separate grade for sixth forms as part of school inspections. Where the assessment of the sixth form differs from the overall judgment of a school, this will be made clear in the report.

Special Educational Needs

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to provide comprehensive educational developmental programmes to pupils with physical and neurological disabilities.

Sarah Teather: Schools are responsible for identifying and meeting the educational needs of all their pupils, including those with physical and neurological disabilities. Since 2004, the Department has collected and published data on the numbers and attainment of pupils in England, broken down by pupil characteristics including ethnicity, eligibility for free school meals and different types of special educational needs (SEN). The data include information on children whose primary need is a physical disability who are receiving support either through SEN statements or through School Action Plus, the higher of two school-based levels of SEN support.
	Our approach to improving services and outcomes for disabled children, including those with physical and neurological disabilities, is set out in the Green Paper, “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability”.
	20 pathfinders, representing 31 local authorities and primary care trust partners, have been appointed to test the proposals in the Green Paper and will inform the changes we make to legislation through the Children and Families Bill. The pathfinders are focusing on involving parents more fully in decisions about the education, health and social care of their children, including trialling personal budgets for those who want them, and developing a clear offer of the support that is available locally. Pathfinders are testing a single assessment process and the use of an “Education, Health and Care Plan”, which brings together the support on which children, young people and their families rely.
	In addition, we have awarded a number of contracts to the voluntary and community sector in 2011-12 and 2012-13, many of which will support children with physical and neurological disabilities. These include grants over the two years of £502,466 to “Whizz Kidz”, for support to children with mobility-impairment, and £256,949 to SCOPE, to develop an online toolkit and guidance to help children with cerebral palsy and allied disabilities to access the curriculum.

Students: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account he takes of forecast demographic trends in the number of 16 to 19-year-olds over the next 10 years when deciding whether to fund new education places for this age group.

Nick Gibb: The Department uses demographic forecasts produced by the Office for National Statistics to estimate the size of each cohort in each year. It then combines these with its own forecasts of participation rates in education for each cohort in each year when planning the number of new education places to fund over the spending review period.

Sustainable Development: Curriculum

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place a duty on schools to promote understanding of sustainability in the stewardship of resources locally, nationally and globally; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 18 June 2012
	The Government are committed to sustainable development but do not think that placing duties on schools is the best way to secure it.
	Our reform programme is designed to improve standards by giving greater autonomy to schools. This is based on the principle that schools perform better when they take responsibility for their own improvement.
	Schools themselves are choosing to become more sustainable with the Sustainable Schools Alliance, a group of voluntary organisations, who are working together to provide a clear offer of support to all schools in the country.

Teachers: Training

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many graduates have entered teaching since 2007 in (a) South Swindon constituency and (b) England and Wales.

Nick Gibb: The information is not available for South Swindon constituency and is not available in the format requested for England and Wales.
	Provisional figures show that between March 2007 and March 2010, the latest date available, 131,700 teachers with qualified teacher status entered teaching service for the first time in the publicly funded sector in England and Wales. This figure is a slight underestimate because the data source undercounts part-time teachers by around 10 to 20%. All teachers who are awarded qualified teacher status are required to have a degree or equivalent level qualification. A small number of graduate teachers who entered service but have not attained qualified teacher status are excluded from the figure provided.
	The figure is provided from the Database of Teacher Records, an administrative data source primarily maintained for pensions administration purposes. The data source covers both England and Wales.
	Information on the number of entrants to initial teacher training in England in the academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 has been published in Tables A1 and A2 of the School Workforce Statistical First Release, November 2010, which is available at the following web link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000997/index.shtml
	Requests for information about the number of entrants to initial teacher training in Wales should be directed to the Welsh Government.

Young People: Drugs

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the relationship between employment and education status and substance misuse among under 18 year olds.

Sarah Teather: The Government has supported a numbers of studies that look at the effects of substance misuse and the well-being of young people. The main one is the Youth Cohort Study and Longitudinal Study of Young People in England: The Activities and Experiences of 18 year olds: England 2009, which shows that 36% of those who had ever tried cannabis were in full-time education at age 18, compared with 49% of those who had not. Young people who had tried cannabis were more likely to be not in education, employment or training than those who had not (19% who had tried cannabis compared with 14% who had not). In the previous year the study showed that young people who reported having tried cannabis by the time they were age 14 were twice as likely to be NEET at age 16 than those who had not.
	Other assessments the Department has made relating to substance misuse and education and employment include: the Newbury-Birch review, Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Young People (2008) which showed that alcohol consumption can have a detrimental effect on young people's short term educational performance; Barnes et al, Understanding Vulnerable Young People (2011) which found that 15% of young people who drank alcohol on most days or smoked at least six cigarettes per week and had tried cannabis were NEET at age 18; and Frontier Economics, A cost-benefit analysis of substance misuse services for under-18s (2011), which showed that the reduction in the percentage of NEET young people as a result of treatment results in long-term educational and employment benefits of between £5,000 and £10,000 per young person.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the adult further education budget was spent on (a) 19 to 21, (b) 22 to 24 and (c) over 24-year-olds in respect of (i) full-time and (ii) part-time courses.

John Hayes: Actual spend on adult (19+) further education and skills training is not reported at the individual level. However, it is possible to provide an estimate of funding at this level calculated from the Individualised Learner Record.
	Table 1 shows the proportion of estimated 19+ funding for further education and skills (excluding community learning) by age band and mode of attendance in the 2010/11 academic year, the latest full year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Further education and skills (excluding community learning) 
			 Percentage of estimated spend by age band and mode of attendance, 2010/11 
			 Age Full-time Part-time Total 
			 19 to 21 24 6 29 
			 22 to 24 7 5 13 
			 25+ 16 42 58 
			 19+ total 47 53 100 
			 Notes: 1. Funding calculations are based on data that include adults (aged 19+) participating in education and training, apprenticeship and workplace learning provision. Community learning provision has been excluded. 2. Education and training provision (previously learner responsive and university for industry provision) covers further education learning delivered mainly in a classroom, workshop or through distance or e-learning. 3. Figures for estimated spend come from the ILR. They should not be treated as actual spend as spending is not reported at this level (age and part-time/full time). These figures can only be used to give an indicative view on the proportion of public funding for each age group and by part-time/full-time). 4. For ‘education and training' full-time learners are defined as those learners studying a programme of a minimum of 450 guided learning hours in an academic year. It is not possible to identify the mode of attendance for apprenticeships and workplace learning. For the purposes of this analysis all apprenticeships have been categorised as full-time and all workplace learning as part-time. Source: Individualised Learner Record (ILR).

Apprentices: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprentices in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) the London borough of Bexley and (c) London who are employed in the retail sector.

John Hayes: Information on the number of apprentices employed in the retail sector is not available. Apprenticeship data are collected and reported by apprenticeship framework and sector subject area.
	Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency, (b) the London borough of Bexley and (c) the London region in the retail and commercial enterprise sector subject area for the 2010/11 academic year, the latest full year for which final data are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts in the retail and commercial enterprise sector subject area by geography, 2010/11 
			  Retail and commercial enterprise apprenticeship starts 
			 Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency 180 
			 Bexley local authority 490 
			 London region 7,740 
		
	
	
		
			 England total 102,770 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography is based on the home postcode of the learner. Geographic information is based on boundaries of regions as of May 2010. The England total includes some unknown postcodes. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by sector subject area is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 29 March 2012:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_current
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statistical firstrelease/sfr_supplementary_tables/Apprenticeship_sfr_supplementary _tables/

Apprentices: Insolvency

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measures his Department has put in place to support young people pursuing apprenticeships in the event that the company employing them becomes insolvent.

John Hayes: In the case of redundancy the National Apprenticeship Service will work with the training provider and apprentice to try and find an alternative employer that would be willing to help the apprentice complete their apprenticeship. In addition there are exceptional arrangements which may allow an apprentice to complete an apprenticeship where specified conditions are met and opportunities to gain the skills and knowledge are available without being in paid employment.

Bank Cards: Fees and Charges

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on banning excessive debit and credit card charges.

Norman Lamb: The EU Consumer Rights Directive will require member states to prohibit traders from charging consumers fees that exceed the costs borne by the trader for the use of a given means of payment. This will ban excessive payment surcharges in areas within scope of the directive. The Government supported the inclusion of this provision in the directive. The deadline for the directive to take effect in national law is 13 June 2014.
	The Government shares consumers' concerns about the high level of payment surcharges imposed by some businesses. On 23 December 2011, in response to a recommendation from the Office of Fair Trading, we announced our intention to consult on implementing the payment surcharges provision of the Consumer Rights Directive ahead of the June 2014 deadline. We intend to issue a full 12 week consultation in the summer to seek views on the timing of implementation and other details on how the provision should be applied. Responses to the consultation will inform our decision on timing and our guidance to businesses.

British Nuclear Fuels

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any individuals in his Department are receiving payments in connection with British Nuclear Fuels Limited.

Mark Prisk: No officials in the Department are receiving such payments.

Conditions of Employment

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the conclusions of the Beecroft report, what plans he has to introduce a no fault dismissal clause between employers and employees.

Norman Lamb: We issued a call for evidence on the concept of no fault dismissal, which closed on 8 June. We are now analysing the responses.
	We will carefully consider the evidence before deciding whether to take any further steps. However, we have no plans to take this forward in the current Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Copyright

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2012, Official Report, column 516W, on copyright, whether he proposes to publish the Government's proposals for copyright reform before the summer.

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced on 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 74, that the Government would publish as soon as possible their decisions on the introduction of a scheme to allow extended collective licensing, one to allow the use of orphan works, and a back-stop power to allow the Government to require a collecting society to implement a statutory code of conduct should it fail to introduce or adhere to a suitable voluntary code. He intends to do so before recess.
	Other announcements on copyright reform may be made later this year.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: The Department switched suppliers for gas and electricity in 2006 when it moved onto the Government Procurement Service (formally Buying Solutions) Energy Framework.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity.

Norman Lamb: The Department uses the Government Procurement Service (formally Buying Solutions) Energy Framework to purchase its gas and electricity supply. Corona is the energy supplier for gas to the Department and EDF is the energy supplier for electricity for those buildings which have half hourly meters. British Gas is the energy supplier for electricity for buildings which do not have half hourly meters.

Further Education: Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the demand for higher education places at further education colleges; and whether the allocation of places under the core and margin model for 2012-13 matches this demand.

David Willetts: In 2012/13 a total of 26,500 entrant places are available through further education (FE) colleges funded directly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Of these 10,000 places were awarded through the creation of a contestable margin based on price, quality and demand. Margin places are not intended to meet the totality of demand for FE provision.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Norman Lamb: The Department (core BIS) has published Government Procurement Card spending over £500 as follows:
	Financial Year 2011/12:
	Due to the volume of transactions, data are drawn together on a quarterly basis.
	Quarter 1 (April to June) published on 13 October 2011.
	Quarter 2 (July to September) published on 10 November 2011.
	Quarter 3 (October to December) published on 9 March 2012.
	Quarter 4 (January to March) will be published by 2 July 2012.
	Financial Year 2010/11:
	The Department has not published data relating to 2010/11. This is in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the time taken was between application and the awarding of designated higher education status for each application his Department has approved this year.

David Willetts: Privately funded institutions that wish to have a course specifically designated for student support purposes apply in the first instance to the Student Loans Company (SLC). Applications are assessed by the SLC against the course designation criteria in the Education (Student Support) Regulations and the applications are forwarded to the Department for consideration. The time taken between the application being received by the Department and the awarding of designated course status varies significantly depending on the nature of the application, and whether or not the provider has previously had courses approved. If the provider is applying for designation for the first time they will be subject to a due diligence review.
	I will place a list of all the courses that have been approved by the Department between September 2011 and 31 May 2012 in the Libraries of the House. The list shows the dates on which the applications were received by the Department and the dates on which the approval letters were issued.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 518W, on higher education: student numbers, what steps he plans to take in the event that parliamentary time is not available to discuss his legislative proposals on access to student support funding.

David Willetts: We published our response to the Higher Education White Paper, ‘Students at the Heart of the System’, on 11 June 2012. In it we set out our plans to bring alternative providers and certain further education colleges, designated for student support purposes, into the formal student number control system alongside other providers. This does not require a change to primary legislation.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, how many higher education designated courses (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Universities and Science has given approval to.

David Willetts: The responsibility of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) to designate courses is in most circumstances exercised by officials on his behalf. As at the end of May 2012, 26 courses had been specifically designated, following a due diligence review.

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which higher education providers who subsequently (a) applied for and (b) received designated course status Ministers and officials in his Department have met in each of the last 12 months.

David Willetts: I meet regularly with providers of higher education. A quarterly-updated list of all Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) ministerial meetings with external organisations is available at:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/disclosure-ministerial-hospitality-received-department-for-business
	BIS officials also have had meetings with a range of higher education providers, but a comprehensive record of these is not maintained.
	A list of courses that have been specifically designated is published on the Student Loan Company's (SLC's) website:
	http://www.practitioners.slc.co.uk/policy-information/designated-courses/full-list.aspx

Higher Education

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 23 April 2012, Official Report, column 735W, on higher education, how regularly he reviews the course designations that are being assessed on his behalf.

David Willetts: The responsibility of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) to designate courses is in most circumstances exercised on his behalf by officials. Ministers are regularly briefed on the volumes and nature of applications. Specific cases are referred to Ministers only in exceptional circumstances.

Higher Education: Admissions

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect of further education loans on access to higher education for (a) women, (b) black and minority ethnic students and (c) people from non-traditional groups.

John Hayes: Research commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on the introduction of 24+ advanced learning loans showed little evidence to suggest that these groups will be particularly disadvantaged by the introduction of loans. BIS and its partners will monitor take-up and evaluate impact carefully as 24+ advanced learning loans are introduced.

Insolvency Service

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to local insolvency services of employing and training new staff following the reorganisation of such services.

Norman Lamb: If a decision is taken to close offices the Insolvency Service has estimated the costs of employing and training new staff, over a range of potential outcomes, with staff at a variety of levels seeking different options, including relocation and exit.
	The Insolvency Service does not propose to automatically replace all staff who may leave.
	In relation to the proposed closure of its Stockton office, on an assumption that 40% of staff would seek an exit scheme rather than relocation, the Insolvency Service has estimated such costs would be £50,000, representing an estimated cost of recruitment, training and lost productivity costs at £10,000 per new full-time staff member.

Insolvency Service

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what factors his Department will take into account when deciding on the future of local insolvency offices.

Norman Lamb: Any decision to close offices will be made with all relevant and current information to hand. Reference will also be made to the criteria previously used to assess offices for potential closure which were: the volume of projected face to face activity required, the reasonableness of alternative travel journeys to neighbouring offices and projected costs should locations be merged.
	All responses to the ongoing public consultations will be taken into account in reaching a decision on the current potential office closures and mergers, along with the existing evidence set out in the consultation documents and any new evidence or data that arises in response to the five questions posed in the consultations.

Insolvency Service: Stockton on Tees

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence his Department used to reach the conclusion that closing the Stockton Insolvency Service will not affect customer services or the level of investigation.

Norman Lamb: In relation to the impact on customer services, should closure be pursued, no further assessment has been made other than that as set out in the consultation document of March 2012. A copy of the consultation document can be found in the Library of the House and online at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/Consultations/Stockton
	The consultation seeks to test the assumptions and estimates set out within the document, and seeks further comment on the impact of the proposed closure.
	As the proposed closure of Stockton does not envisage the loss of any posts for staff involved in investigation, it is not considered that this will significantly impact upon the level of investigation undertaken. No further assessment of this has been made.

Insolvency Service: Stockton on Tees

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he gave to Stockton Insolvency Service’s score ratings in the delivery strategy proposal when deciding which regional insolvency offices should be considered for closure.

Norman Lamb: The criteria used to assess offices for potential closure were the volume of projected face to face activity required, the reasonableness of alternate travel journeys to neighbouring offices and projected costs should locations be merged.
	These criteria were set out in the consultation, in particular annex A, a copy of which can be found in the Libraries of the House and online at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/Consultations/Stockton

Insolvency Service: Stockton on Tees

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of transferring staff from the Stockton Insolvency Service to other offices in the event that it closes.

Norman Lamb: In estimating the cost of transferring staff from Stockton to other offices, the Insolvency Service has used the following benchmarks per individual:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Estimated excess fares 11,520 
		
	
	
		
			 Estimated full relocation costs for home owners 34,000 
		
	
	The actual costs would be determined by the individual staff member’s personal circumstances and the number of staff electing to relocate.
	The Insolvency Service has estimated the costs over a range of potential outcomes, with staff at a variety of levels seeking different options. If a decision is made to proceed to closure, these estimates will be revisited in conjunction with individual discussions with staff as to their personal circumstances.

Insolvency Service: Stockton on Tees

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation his Department undertook when considering co-locating the Stockton Insolvency Service office with another local government office in the same area.

Norman Lamb: The Insolvency Service has been in discussions with the estates office within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) about potential alternative accommodation, within the BIS family, in the wider Teesside area.
	The Insolvency Service does not consider that finding alternate accommodation on the Government estate, in the wider Teesside area, would be overly difficult should a decision be made not to proceed with the proposed merger with its Newcastle office.

Insolvency Service: Stockton on Tees

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take into account the different cost of living in Newcastle and Stockton when making a decision on the future of the Stockton Insolvency Service office.

Norman Lamb: The Insolvency Service will take account of all representations made in response to the consultation on the potential closure of the office in Stockton, in coming to a final decision. This includes any representations made regarding differences in the cost of living between Newcastle and Stockton.

Low Associates

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has received any representations from Low Associates since May 2010.

Norman Lamb: Details of ministerial and the permanent secretary's meetings with external organisations are published on the BIS website at
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
	No central record is kept of other departmental officials' meetings with external organisations and the information could therefore be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

New Businesses: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many businesses in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley have signed up as mentors for the Mentor scheme since the inception of the scheme;
	(2)  how many businesses in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London borough of Bexley have benefited from the Mentor scheme since the inception of the scheme.

Mark Prisk: Get Mentoring is a SFEDI-led (Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative) project, supported by grant funding (from both BIS and the Government Equalities Office,) to recruit and train 15,000 volunteer business mentors from the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community.
	Over 12,000 volunteers have now been recruited through this initiative and over 7,000 of them have completed training—around 16% of whom are based in London and the south-east. This estimate is only approximate and based on the location of the workshop they attended. We do not currently have the data to ascertain how many were recruited from Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and the London borough of Bexley specifically.
	Volunteer mentors recruited and trained through Get Mentoring are deployed via the mentoring organisations on
	http://www.mentorsme.co.uk/
	the national mentoring portal or mentor businesses within their own networks. We do not have data to say how many mentoring relationships have been developed and therefore how many businesses have benefited as a result of the site. It is too early yet to provide robust data on the number of businesses being mentored by Get Mentoring volunteers.
	At the start of 2011 it is estimated that there were almost 1.5 million private sector SMEs in London and the south-east. Based on results from the Small Business Survey 2010 it is estimated that around 120,000 (8%) of these would have used a business mentor in the previous 12 months.

New Businesses: Offices

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many businesses he expects to use premises made available under the Start Up Spaces scheme by the end of (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014;
	(2)  how many premises will be made available under the Start Up Spaces scheme by the end of (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014;
	(3)  what capacity is available to businesses under the Start Up Spaces scheme and what he expects this will be by the end of (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014;
	(4)  how many businesses are using premises made available under the Start Up Spaces scheme.

Mark Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's initiative to encourage start-up businesses in the current economic climate by using the Government's stock of surplus unoccupied office space, is being led jointly by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and the Cabinet Office. BIS is responsible for the business start-up element of the scheme. The Cabinet Office, through the Government Property Unit (GPU), is leading work on the property aspect and has been working with Departments to identify viable space.
	GPU has identified a first batch of viable spaces and on 29 May 2012 Government began a process to find providers to manage the spaces and deliver business support to future occupants. Space is likely to become available to businesses in the late autumn, subject to the identification and appointment of suitable providers. This initiative is a novel and innovative venture by Government which we trust will prove successful, with further spaces added to the initiative as they are identified in subsequent waves.
	At this stage, it is not possible to predict how many premises will be made available under the scheme by the end of (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014. The Government's property portfolio is fluid and actively managed to maximise efficiency and deliver value for money for the taxpayer. Government continue to seek to dispose of its unoccupied space where they can, either through sale or the early surrender of leases. Where these options are not suitable, the Government Property Unit will work with Departments to identify suitable property for this initiative.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Start Up loans he expects to be made by the end of (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

Mark Prisk: Budget 2012 announced a programme of enterprise loans to help young people set up and grow their own businesses, with funding for a £10 million pilot programme in 2012/13.
	The total number of loans awarded will depend on the value of each loan. Rather than set an arbitrary value for every loan Government want the lending decision and the value of loan to be based upon the business case developed by each applicant and approved by an independent and expert panel.
	As a guide we anticipate average loan value of about £2,500 across the loan book.
	A further £32.5 million has been made available for the funding and administration of loans in 2013/14 and £40 million in 2014/15, subject to the pilot demonstrating that there is demand from young people and capability within the support network to engage and support them. We will be looking to engage commercial partners to further build the lending pot.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what benchmarks have been set for the implementation and operation of Start Up loans.

Mark Prisk: The Government have not set an exhaustive list of requirements for the implementation and operation of Start Up loans as this is a pilot and the scheme itself is demand led and intended to meet the needs of each individual applicant
	However, we have determined that:
	all delivery partners for the pilot phase must be operational by end September 2012, to ensure that each has a minimum delivery period of six months;
	for every loan recipient, we expect a further three individuals to benefit from engagement in the scheme, for example, by receiving advice on how to start their business;
	loans should be awarded on the basis of the individual's business plan and be made by an independent panel appointed by the delivery partner;
	loans must not exceed a repayment period of more than five years;
	interest will charged at the rate of RPI +3%;
	delivery partners can grant a repayment holiday up to a maximum of 12 months; and
	the loan will be treated as a personal liability.
	These requirements may be adjusted in the light of the results of the pilot.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which partner organisations are responsible for administering the Start Up Loans scheme; and how many loans each organisation plans to make under the scheme.

Mark Prisk: 40 organisations responded to the expressions of interest exercise to identify delivery partners for the Start-Up Loans scheme.
	The Prince's Trust and the Economics Solutions Group, have been identified as ready to commence delivery, subject to due diligence, and we are working with the remainder to develop their proposition and to ensure we have a full cadre of delivery partners by end September 2012.
	There is no set target for the number of loans to be administered by each partner. Loan volume will depend on partner capacity, the applicant and which partner is best placed to support them.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which guidance has been issued to partner organisations responsible for administering the Start Up Loans scheme; and what requirements there are of these organisations.

Mark Prisk: The Government has not created an exhaustive list of guidance for partner organisations as this is a pilot which aims to test demand and delivery network capability.
	However, we have determined that:
	all delivery partners must be able to demonstrate competency to provide start-up support, mentoring and loan management and will be required to complete a due diligence process prior to appointment;
	delivery partners are required to provide projections of deal flow and funds will be allocated to them on the basis of those projections, ensuring that funds are not allocated to those partners unable to utilise them;
	for every loan recipient, a further three individuals are expected to benefit from engagement in the scheme, for example, by receiving advice on how to start their business;
	loans should be awarded on the basis of the individual's business plan and be made by an independent panel appointed by the delivery partner;
	loans must not exceed a repayment period of more than five years;
	interest will be charged at the rate of RPI +3%;
	delivery partners can grant a repayment holiday up to a maximum of 12 months;
	the loan will be treated as a personal liability; and
	the repaid loan plus interest will be returned to a central fund by the delivery partner to ensure that monies are continuously recycled into further lending.
	These requirements may be adjusted in the light of the results of the pilot.

New Businesses: Young People

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria partner organisations will use in allocating Start Up loans.

Mark Prisk: The only criterion that will apply to young people seeking support to start a business is that they are aged 18 to 24 and seeking to start their business in England.
	All young people joining the scheme will receive support to build a viable business plan. The award of a loan will be subject to an assessment by the delivery partner of the viability of the applicant's business plan and the individual's financial standing.

Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how often the ad hoc Advisory Board on Nuclear Research and Development has met since it was established; what its membership is; from which budget it is funded; what the cost has been of meetings to date; and if he plans to publish minutes of the meetings on his Department's website.

David Willetts: The ad hoc Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board has met three times since it was established earlier this year. The dates for these meetings were as follows:
	27 March 2012;
	24 April 2012; and
	31 May 2012.
	The membership of the Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board is detailed in the following list.
	The Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board is funded by the Government Office for Science.
	The cost of the three meetings to date is £586.40. This includes room bookings, refreshments and lunch for a visiting French delegation.
	At present, there is no web presence for the Advisory Board. However, the board has agreed that a summary of minutes from meetings will be made available to anyone upon request.
	Membership Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board
	Sir John Beddington: Government Chief Scientific Advisor, GO-Science
	Professor David MacKay: Chief Scientific Adviser, DECC
	Dr Stephen de Souza: Head of Nuclear and Radioactive Waste
	Professor John Perkins: Chief Scientific Adviser, BIS
	Dr Graeme Reid: Head of Research Funding Unit, BIS
	Mr George Beveridge: Deputy Managing Director, Sellafield Ltd
	Professor Richard Clegg: Global Nuclear Director, Lloyds Register
	Professor Steve Cowley: Chief Executive Officer, UK Atomic Energy Authority
	Mr Stuart Crooks: Chief Technology Officer, Nuclear Generation, EDF
	Professor Robin Grimes: Director, Imperial College Centre for Nuclear Engineering
	Mr Norman Harrison: Director, Strategic Development, Babcock International
	Professor Paul Howarth: Managing Director, National Nuclear Laboratory
	Dame Sue Ion: Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
	Professor Francis Livens: Radiochemistry, University of Manchester
	Mrs Jean Llewellyn OBE: Chief Executive, National Skills Academy Nuclear
	Professor Rebecca Lunn: Engineering Geosciences, University of Strathclyde
	Dr Graeme Nicholson: Director, Science and Technology, AWE
	Mr Keith Parker: Chief Executive, Nuclear Industry Association
	Professor Richard Parker: Director of Research and Technology, Rolls-Royce
	Professor Nawal Prinja: Technical Director, AMEC Nuclear
	Professor Andrew Sherry: Director, Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of Manchester
	Dr Adrian Simper: Strategy Director, Nuclear Decommissioning Agency
	Dr Mike Weightman: HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations.

Origin Marking: EU Action

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in other member states in the Council of the European Union regarding the European Commission Proposal on Regulation for the indication of the country of origin on certain products imported from third countries;
	(2)  what organisations he has met to discuss the European Commission Proposal on Regulation for the indication of the country of origin on certain products imported from third countries;
	(3)  what (a) discussions and (b) meetings officials in his Department have had with officials of the European Commission regarding the European Commission Proposal on Regulation for the indication of the country of origin on certain products imported from third countries;
	(4)  what his policy is on the European Commission Proposal on Regulation for the indication of the country of origin on certain products imported from third countries.

Norman Lamb: The coalition Government have strong reservations about the European Commission Proposal on Regulation for the indication of the country of origin on certain products imported from third countries. We are not satisfied of the need for such a mandatory system, its cost to business and Government and the absence of any objective criteria for determining product scope. The UK supports a voluntary labelling approach. We welcome the practice of many producers and retailers in providing a country of origin mark on their products.
	Such positive country of origin marking takes place because business believes it is the right thing to do for themselves and their customers. It does not involve a regulatory or cost burden imposed by Government.
	After a number of discussions in the Commercial Questions Council Working Group during 2011, especially during the first half of the year, the proposal was last discussed in January this year. As a result we currently await a discussion paper from the European Commission on the possibility of a voluntary origin marking regime.
	Coalition Ministers have had no meetings on this issue. Nor have BIS officials met recently with Commission officials outside of the Council Working Group discussions.

Postage Stamps

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Post Office on the continued availability at post office counters of country-definitive and pictorial stamps;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to ensure that post offices at all times carry and make available country-definitive and pictorial stamps;
	(3)  what proportion of post office network counter and business sheet-definitive stamp sales is comprised of sales of country and pictorial-definitives, broken down by nation and territory.

Norman Lamb: The availability of country-definitive and pictorial stamps at post offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail and I have had no discussions with them about this. I have asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Railways: Radlett

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2012, Official Report, column 326W, on railways: Radlett, what the nature was of the correspondence received from Community Connect Ltd; and what response his Department gave to this correspondence.

Mark Prisk: In November 2011, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), received correspondence about the St Albans Strategic Railfreight Interchange from Community Connect Ltd, on behalf of their client Helioslough.
	Community Connect Ltd sent an executive summary and impact report to support a planning proposal for a Strategic Railfreight Interchange in Radlett. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, responded stating that the Government believe that a key mechanism to unblocking growth is through strategic infrastructure developments. He confirmed that the Government’s ambition was to see growth taking place in line with local wishes and priorities wherever possible and that it would not be appropriate to accept a meeting on that occasion.

Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 700W, on research, from whom the EU Research and Development scoreboard receives its UK data.

David Willetts: The UK data are provided by Company Reporting Bespoke Databases Ltd, Edinburgh.

Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 700W, on research, whether any assessment has been made of the benefits to the economy of his Department's research and development scoreboard.

David Willetts: No assessment has been made. The scoreboard is not thought to have had a direct impact on the economy. It would be difficult to identify investment decisions primarily made as a result of the scoreboard by the top 1,000 research and development performing UK companies, or to quantify the wider benefits of the scoreboard to the economy.

Royal Mail: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of the Royal Mail in the event of Scottish independence.

Norman Lamb: I have not had any discussions with the Scottish Government on the future of Royal Mail in the event of Scottish independence.
	The Government's position is clear: Scotland is stronger as part of the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it. The Government are not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the United Kingdom in any referendum.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what correspondence (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with the Scottish Government on the potential consequences of Scotland leaving the UK; and if he will place in the Library a copy of any such correspondence.

Norman Lamb: There has been no correspondence between Ministers or officials in this Department and the Scottish Government on the consequences of Scotland leaving the UK.
	The Government's position is clear: Scotland is stronger as part of the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it.
	The Government are not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the United Kingdom in any referendum.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with Scottish Government Ministers or officials on the potential consequences of Scotland leaving the UK.

Norman Lamb: BIS have had no formal discussions with the Scottish Government.
	The Government's position is clear: Scotland is stronger as part of the UK and the UK is stronger with Scotland in it.
	The Government are not making plans for independence as we are confident that people in Scotland will continue to support the United Kingdom in any referendum.

Space Technology: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he has allocated to the National Space Technology Programme in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the projected funding is in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

David Willetts: The National Space Technology Programme is a new UK Space Agency programme announced in the 2011 Budget to promote growth in the UK space sector. £10 million was allocated and will have been fully awarded in competition to industry by the end of 2012-13. Aided by private sector investment and support from other Government organisations, the total programme volume is expected to reach £27 million.

Students: Finance

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the eligibility of students undertaking courses at private institutions for student support.

David Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) regularly receives correspondence relating to personal and course eligibility. We do not keep a central register.
	In order to access student support a student must satisfy the personal eligibility criteria and be undertaking or attending a designated course in accordance with the relevant Education (Student Support) Regulations.
	Eligible higher education courses provided by publicly funded institutions in the UK are automatically designated under the Education (Student Support) Regulations.
	Eligible higher education courses provided by alternative or private providers are designated for the purposes of student support on a course by course basis by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable).

Students: Loans

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason higher national certificate qualifications are treated as part-time study by the Student Loans Company; and if he will reconsider the treatment of such qualifications.

David Willetts: The student support regulations allow courses leading to a higher national certificate (HNC) to be designated as either part-time or full-time courses. The Student Loans Company will then treat these courses accordingly for the purposes of student support.
	It is for higher education institutions (HEIs) to decide whether they want to deliver HNC qualifications as either part-time courses, full-time courses, or both.

Students: Work Experience

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students undertook a year in industry as part of a sandwich university course in the last academic year for which figures are available.

David Willetts: holding answer 18 June 2012
	Statistics collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that, in the academic year 2010/11, 19,245 students enrolled on a sandwich first degree course at a UK higher education institution were on an industrial placement for the whole academic year.

Vocational Training

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which registered training organisations are operating in (a) the west midlands, (b) Stoke-on-Trent local authority and (c) Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency in 2012-13.

John Hayes: The chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency is responsible for all matters concerning the funding and contracting of post 19 education and training provision. I have therefore asked the chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency to reply to the hon. Member direct.

Vocational Training

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which sub-contractors are involved in delivering (a) the adult skills budget, (b) 16-18 Apprenticeships and (c) adult community learning programmes, (i) nationally, (ii) in the west midlands, (iii) in Stoke-on-Trent local authority and (iv) in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency.

John Hayes: The chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency is responsible for all matters concerning the funding and contracting of post 19 education and training provision. I have therefore asked the chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency to reply to the hon. Member direct.

Vocational Training

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how he plans to monitor the effectiveness of the Due Diligence Gateway in assessing the suitability of organisations to be accredited on the Register of Training Organisations.

John Hayes: Operational responsibility for managing the Register of Training Organisations, including the due diligence gateway rests with the Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, as part of their responsibility for all matters concerning the funding and contracting of post-19 education and training provision. I have therefore asked the chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency to reply to the hon. Member direct.